Eenie Meenie Miney Mo
by catsvrsdogscatswin
Summary: SOMEONE HELP ME! I have so many ideas for Hellsing, and I have emptied the folder on my computer to share them all with you! After I finish my BB and SE stories, I'll write one of these, but which one is of course up to you guys! AND I REALLY NEED HELP ON DECIDING WHICH ONE! I love them all, but I just can't decide which one to write further on...
1. Red

_**Assassin **_

_Red's POV:_

"I can't believe it! _Again_ with these pathetic superstitions, no! Take your hands off me sir! I am sleeping _alone_ tonight; I doubt any assassin would have the guts to fight their way all the way up twenty stories of armed guards!" my target shrieked, slamming his door open irritably and walking in. I remained still. Silence and stillness was the key to any stealth mission, assassination or not. I didn't even blink until he walked into his spacious bedroom, unknotting his tie as he went. Then I blinked, slowly. My body was contorted around a precisely calculated series of lines; ones I knew led to motion sensors and security cameras all across the building. I did not let my chest rise and fall, keeping perfectly still, like a statue. A fiery-haired, scarfed, and bodysuit wearing statue. My ponytail hung over one shoulder, two poison sticks thrust into the band, and the divided strands of the rest of my hair hung on either side of my face. My eyes glittered above the scarf, and a grim purpose lit their hazel depths.

I remained as this, totally still, for exactly an hour and thirty minutes. Then I moved. Swiftly, without any more than perhaps three seconds, I dropped to the floor and rolled under a table. Completely silent. The target did not snore, which was helpful. Jumpy guards, hearing the absence of nightly routines, aka _snores_, might happen upon me before I could flee when I killed him. I waited for another ten minutes before moving, coming upon his door and carefully disarming the alarmed lock. It opened slightly with a tiny click, and I vanished as the man yawned, scratching something unmentionable and heading for the bathroom. I made a face under the scarf, but reined myself in, following as he closed the door and managing to slip inside and hide on the ceiling once more, averting my eyes from his nether regions. Once his business was done, he yawned, washing his hands in the sink. He never had time to scream, my blade found his heart in a split second of flashing movement and spurt of blood. He slowly collapsed to the floor, and I caught the body, easing him down so he did not make a sound. Dipping a finger in the blood, I began to write something on the mirror.

_***Time Skip***_

"Mission accomplished?" Mara asked as I sauntered in, and I flashed my bloody gloves at her. "Done, over with, he is in the ground, or at least will be once they find his body." I said with a wicked grin, and she rolled her eyes as I continued to waltz past, typing my kill onto the company computer. " 'Sup sup, how's my good buddy Kruger?" I asked, sprawling in a swivel chair and sending it into a spin, and then kicked my legs up on his desk, halting myself and giving him a smug look as he glared up at me from his computer. "Red, I thought I agreed you were never to call me that again. My name is _Fredrick. _Not Fred, not Freddy, and for the millionth time, NOT KRUGER!" he snarled in exasperation, throwing some boring-as-hell report on his desk, as if I was supposed to touch the nasty thing. "Oh no you don't Freddy ol pal, that's your job." I said smugly, flicking it back toward him. "You handle the paperwork, and I go out and kill the bad guys, running up buildings and sliding under gunmen, firing bullets into the sunset and throwing knives into ninja's throats as I sweep up beautiful maidens and dump them at the nearest bus depots." I said, rising dramatically and swirling around the room, acting out the scenes.

He hid a chuckle and grin under his hand, attempting to look stern, or at least neutral. "You don't use guns." He corrected me primly. "It's the same difference. Swords just don't go bang." I sniffed, putting my nose in the air and acting the dandy. Then we both lost it and burst out laughing, me holding myself up on the wall and him collapsed on his desk, shaking. "Well Red, you still are a saucy girl." He said, shaking his head as we both got ourselves under control and I sat down, respectfully this time. "Yeah, but hey, what ya gonna do? Humor is practically nonexistent in this field; I thought I could put a little pep in the step." I said, twirling a lock of flaming hair around my finger. He rolled his eyes, but nodded. "Here. Next target, and of course you never saw or heard anything about this building." He said absently, handing me a portfolio and waving as I left via backflip, somersaulting across the floor to rise at Mara's desk, dusting myself off.

"Show off." She muttered, and we grinned at each other for a second. "Hey, I wish I had a camera crew following me around for every second of the day, except for bathroom breaks. They'd capture some amazing action." I said, looking around before giving her a quick high five. She smiled at me as I left, and I strolled along the river Thames, hands in my pockets and whistling. I had changed from my assassination gear into some civilian clothes, a black tee and dark blue jeans, my most obvious feature, the flaming hair, hid by a baseball cap. Of course, I was still riddled with nasty surprises for anybody trying to jump me, but Jane and Joe public didn't really need to know that, did they? Finally, I came to my apartment, a basement floor and opened it with my key, sighing and slouching against the frame, as if exhausted. A half-second's pause, and when nobody tried to come out and kill me, I turned my back, locking all thirteen and a half (a reversing lock, if they tried to unlock it, all the others would re-lock) bolts on my door. Solid steel baby. The door was reinforced with titanium straps in the core, and all the windows were double-paned bulletproof glass.

It was only a single bedroom, kitchen, and living room, but I didn't need any more. This wasn't my real home anyway, just a cover one. You know, if anyone ever figured out I was a hired killer and came a' calling, this was the place they'd find. I had guns stashed in every spare nook and cranny, pistols mostly, although there were several shotguns. Blades, which were much easier to hide, were even more numerous. As a close-in assassin, (one who actually gets into the same room with his/her target), guns were not my weapon of choice, but I had a basic understanding of just about every weapon on this good green earth, knives and all. Poisons were also rather neat, but I always thought it more honest to just out-and-out stab the person. But again, as a basic rule, I had poison and I knew how to use it. I took a deep breath, and then spread my legs. _Step-step twirl, split-split flip, moonwalk-cartwheel, step-step handstand, somersault aaaannnd…split!_ I thought, going through all the dance moves and wincing at the end, a doorway opening in the floor in front of me. The code to get into my _real_ home was a killer on the thigh muscles.

Nevertheless, I walked down slowly, keeping my hands on my most convenient blades until the lights flicked on, the door sliding shut behind me as soon as I was out of range. I stopped at the bottom of the shirt flight of stairs, taking a deep breath. There was an empty room here, and a large red button with a metal door beside it was all the way on the other wall. I jumped, swirling in midleap as several blade hacked the very air in two, inches from my hips and nose. A blast of flame roared across the room as I dropped and rolled, leaping again as blades spiked through the floor, nearly puncturing my precious innards. I lunged for the big red button, managing to hit it with a gasp as the floor behind me opened up into a yawning pit, wobbling on the very edge before it closed and simulated cheers echoed through the empty room. "_Congratulations, Agent: Red. You have completed the gauntlet for the: Four hundred, twenty, four time. Entrance is now permitted. Please enter the code._" A mechanical voice muttered from the button, and I grinned.

"Oh yeah!" I shouted, pumping both fists in the air and then tapping out a little rhythm with my feet. I put both hands on the door and pulled it to the side, slippery metal gliding easily into the slot. My own personal rooms, with blades and guns and just about every weapon known to man strewn across several huge tables, along with my bed and TV, also a couch. Air mattress for when…I wanted to sleep on the floor, I guess. Food for Anklebiter. Speaking of… "_Meow!_" A pained, mewling cry echoed across the room to me, and the shameless creature even limped a little, saffron eyes huge and pleading. I picked him up, cuddling the soft, fuzzy creature in my arms as his fluffy ginger fur brushed against my bare skin. "Alright you little scamp, what's wrong with you now?" I asked, scratching him under the chin as he broke off begging to purr, tilting his head into the scratch and vibrating with approval. "Nothing then?" I asked, making as if to put him down as his eyes shot open and his claws hooked into my shirt.

"Oh, something is wrong is it? Are you hungry? Is my littler beggar hungry?" I asked, showing him the jerky I had bought and watching the scrapper's eyes light up as he daintily took the meat and proceeded to savage it, gulping it down rapidly using my arm as I plate as I sat down on my creaky old couch with a "whuff" of air. I absently clicked on the music as I opened the file I had been given. "_I'm a ninja, I'm a hoodie ninja, I'm a ninja, I'm a hoodie ninja, I'm a ninja, I'm a hoodie ninja, I'm a ninja, I'm a hoodie ninja, I'm a ninja, I'm a hoodie ninja, I'm a ninja, I'm a hoodie ninja, I'm a ninja, I'm a hoodie ninja, I'm a hoodie ninja!_"

_**Target:**__ Bailey Hellsing_

_**Age:**__ Seven_

_**Gender:**__ Female_

_**Objective:**__ Retrieval and detainment until further notice._

I frowned a little at that. I had never done a hostage mission before, and anything new must be done with precise care.

"_I'm a ninja I'm a hoodie ninja! You're off guard ninja star now you're injured! Tough luck nun chuck break your fingers! Gotta bolt cause I don't wanna linger…_"

_**Bodyguards/Protectors:**__ Hellsing mercenaries, (see Wild Geese) butler, (powers unknown, involve splicing/dicing of living bodies) man of unknown power, status, or ethnicity, seen in proximity of child and foster mother (see Integra Hellsing) constantly in public, expected same for private. Been seen wielding an __ARMS .454 Casull Auto, as well as black gun of same size and like make, not seen in use as of yet. Expected to be high resistance. _

Oh dear. Not going well for my first kidnapping, was it?

"_I'm a ninja, I'm a hoodie ninja, I'm a ninja I'm a hoodie ninja, I'm a ninja I'm a hoodie ninja, I'm a ninja I'm a hoodie ninja, I'm a ninja I'm a hoodie ninja, I'm a ninja I'm a hoodie ninja, I'm a ninja I'm a hoodie ninja, I'm a hoodie ninja!_"

I sighed, sitting up and brushing my hair out of my face as I scanned over her itinerary. _Should be about tomorrow if I can snatch her at all…Fred better have a good reason for kidnapping, usually it's just out-and-out killing, not just kidnapping, and of young girls too._ I thought, snapping my fingers to silence the music and standing, beginning to strap my lightest, sharpest blades all over my body, as well as anything else I might need. A quick pet of Anklebiter and I was out the door, dodging blades, flames, and spikes as I raced for the stairs.

_3__rd__ Person POV:_

"But Sir Hellsing, I want to go outside…"Bailey pouted, folding her arms and glaring up at her foster mother as Alucard chuckled on her other side. _She's just as independent as you were master, it may be for the best to let her out now before she breaks a window._ He purred into Integra's mind, and she gave them both a haughty glare. "Fine Bailey, but take Alucard and be _quick_." She muttered, and the child yelped with glee, letting Alucard phase her through the car door and running into the park happily as Alucard morphed into his child form to fit in better. Bailey laughed, jumping onto a swing and pushing herself back and forth as Alucard sat down, watching any person entering or exiting the park with narrowed eyes. A red-haired teen whistled, jogging around the perimeter as Alucard snorted, hearing the "_Hoodie Ninja_" song blaring from her MP3. She neared his charge, and passed her as he tensed, then relaxed. Suddenly a firecracker roared above, making him jump and reach for his gun, stopping with a snort as he recognized the sound and sight, sitting back down and flicking a glance back at his master's child.

Then he snarled, standing and shifting as he saw a red-haired figure somersaulting away, a familiar body gripped in her arms. "MASTER!" he roared to Integra, giving chase as the female glanced back, then doubled her pace. She raised an arm as he came even, and he heard a grappling hook lock onto a nearby building as she suddenly swung into the air, holding Bailey close to her body as the child wailed, swinging around to a nearby building, out of sight. He frantically cast his shadows out, but only caught the flickering edge of the woman's presence before she was gone. _Shit, she moves too fast._ He thought as Integra ran up. "Bailey! What happened?!" she shrieked, and he scowled, shrugging. "A very stupid human came by and took her. Red hair, female." He said brusquely, tapping a finger against his arm as he folded them. "Well, what are you waiting for! GO GET HER!" she snarled, making a whipping motion with her fingers as he phased to bats and started searching for his wayward charge.

"Let me go! Alucard help! Get off!" Bailey shouted, struggling as her kidnapper shoved her in the car and slid into the driver's seat opposite. "Bailey, listen to me. The less you struggle, the less you'll get hurt. I'm just making sure that if we crash, there's a reasonable chance you'll survive. That's what seat belts are for, after all." The woman said calmly, ponytail brushing across the child's face as she deftly buckled her in, then turned the keys in the engine. She drove, and Bailey subsided into fear. "H-how do you know my name?" she quavered, and the woman's hazel eyes flashed to hers in annoyance. "I am not at liberty to tell you that at this moment in time." She said calmly, looking back towards the road. Bailey scowled. She hated it when people gave her excuses and half-answers. "Fine, what's _your_ name?" she snapped, and the female jerked away.

"Whoa there kiddo! Don't bite my nose off! Just because I kidnapped you doesn't mean we can't be temporary friends. As for my name, I can't tell you that either, but I can tell you R. Call me that if there is need for names." She said cheerfully, and Bailey scowled deeper. "My friend is going to get you. He's going to shoot you to bits and then rip you apart and then eat you with his dogs." She hissed, and R gave her an amused glance. "Well, that's not a job hazard I get often, I'll say that much. Kidnapping is showing to be quite a fun profession." She said in amusement, then blinked. "Oh yeah, real sorry about this 'Bail, but I gotta give you a nap tap." She blinked. "A wha-" But R's hand suddenly gripping her throat in a way that turned everything black cut her off with a sigh.

Red watched as her target slumped in the seat, then drove to her boss's office. _This kid is nice enough. I hope I'm not going to have to kill her._ She thought, slinging the body over her shoulder and calmly walking into her boss's office block. "Holy-" Mara covered her mouth with her hand, not finishing the probable profanity as Red chuckled. "Hey Mara. Boss-man has me running errands for him now, can you _believe_ it?" she asked, shifting the unconscious Bailey in her arms like a bag of groceries. Mara just sat and stared as Red hummed, walking calmly to her boss's office and kicking the door in, putting Bailey on his desk as he looked up. "I have been a good doggy and fetched, oh my lord and master Kruger." She said playfully, and he sighed, shaking his head as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Red, answer me honestly, what will it take to make you stop calling me that?" he asked, and she rubbed her chin, thinking about it. "An insanely large bonus might do the trick…but for right now, can you satisfy my curiosity and tell me who hired us to kidnap the kid." She said bluntly, sprawling in her chair and kicking her legs, up, avoiding Bailey's unconscious form.

_Red's POV:_

He shrugged, taking out a file and peering through it. "As with many of our clients, they did not hire through direct contact and simply sent their request and payment via email. The only codename they gave us for filing was …R." I jerked upright. "Hey wait a second! That's my codename! Plagiarism I tell you! Bloody plagiarism!" I yelped, grabbing the sheet and frantically looking through the file. He rolled his eyes, but snatched the file back. "Red, they have no idea that you were the one assigned to the job. R could mean anything, a company, a nickname, an agent, anything or anyone at all. Calm down." He said briskly, folding it and tucking it in the secret drawer again as I scowled. "Plagiarism…" I muttered defiantly, scowling at him and then sighing, getting to my feet with Bailey over my shoulder. "Well, thanks anyway man, I appreciate you trying. Permission to have a look-see myself?" I asked, and he nodded absently, eyes already going back to the screen. I gave him a sharp salute, then turned and started walking out.

I got into the car I had stolen silently, driving it through the invisible hole in the parking garage Fred owned, a tunnel that led straight to my house. I turned on the music, then turned it off again. _Not on a mission, damn._ I casually dodged the rockets and oil slicks the car started triggering, pleased with my level of security. Soon the entire tunnel behind me was on fire, the oil having caught the sparks from the missile afterblaze, and I grinned under the scarf as I drove faster. Soon I managed to get to the door, unbuckling and hurling myself through the window, catching Bailey up as I ran for the door, the flames reaching the car behind me. I reached the door, grabbed the knob, and was just starting to turn it as the car exploded. The door slammed back shut as I was pressed against it, the shockwave driving the breath out of me as Bailey, as one might have expected, awoke with a scream. Shrapnel rained down on us, and I quickly recovered to wrench the door open and dart inside, hitting the dampeners as soon as we were both inside.

Bailey panted, scrambling backwards until she hit a wall, eyes huge as she stared at me. I stepped forward, kneeling and…casually pinching the edge of her braid. "Your hair was on fire. I don't think you'd like that." I said calmly, standing once more as she belatedly clutched at her braid. "C'mon then 'Bails. Let's get you something to eat, I'm starving!" I said cheerfully, leading her to a cupboard and taking out some soup in cans. I heated it on the stove as she warily perched herself on the bar counter I had for when I wanted some class in my kitchen, and I slid the bowl of chicken noodle soup to her as I picked up my own, leaning against the counter as I slurped it. "You're not drugging me?" she asked tremulously, and I shrugged, coming up for air. "I see no reason to as of yet. You haven't proved yourself to be enough of a nuisance." I said after a moment, then dove back in, gulping the noodles rapidly as she ate more decorously, using a spoon instead of her hands and mouth.

I finished first, grinning and wiping my mouth off under the scarf and then snatching her bowl once she was done, shoving it under the sink with my own and starting clean up. "First off, rules. You are not to leave this cluster of rooms, this is for your own safety, because even if you did escape I'd just get sent after you again, and I don't make mistakes twice. My rooms are booby-trapped on the outside, and I don't really think you'd stand a chance. Do not eat anything unless I made it or approved, I keep poisons and I don't have the antidotes. For the moment, you are a hostage, not a target, so I am not going to kill you." I said rapidly, then looked up to see her edging away. I looked down, flicking a knife so it soared over her shoulder and embedded itself in the wall. "No escaping too, obviously." I scolded, and she quickly sat down with a whimper.

Anklebiter chose that moment to howl miserably, stumbling across the floor like he had been hit by a concussive blast, twining around Bailey's ankles and mewling plaintively. "Oh hush you. Bailey, this is Anklebiter, the most double-crossing little beggar ever to grace a dumpster's trashheap. Anklebiter, this is Bailey." I said, and she brightened, petting him and he clambered into her lap and proceeded to twine around her purring as she petted him gently. "Suck-up." I shot at him, and his purring broke off for a moment as he gave me a disdainful glare, finally having found a generous, loving, warm-hearted sucker to pet and love him. "He's so soft!" Bailey cooed, and he relaxed with another purr, gently kneading at her lap with his claws. "I prefer the term deceptively cuddly." I said loftily, collapsing onto the couch beside her as Anklebiter turned over a few times in her lap, squirming gleefully as she stroked his tummy. "Not only are you a suck-up, you are a _shameless_ suck up." I told him, and he flicked a paw at me, as if to say "Yes yes I know, I'm busy being worshiped right now".

I snorted and flicked out my laptop, beginning to type rapidly as Bailey eyed me out of the corner of her eye. "What're you doing?" she asked, and I gave her a sharp look. "That's not for you to know quite yet." I said calmly, looking back down as I hit the search button. I scanned down the information rapidly, scowling. The signal for my newest orders to kidnap said child currently sitting across from me had originated in Italy, and I immediately crossed that with any R words from that area. "Does Italy mean anything to you?" I asked, not moving my eyes from the screen as she thought for a moment. "Uh…not really. I know Section 13 comes from there." She said hesitantly, and I quickly typed that in, frowning to myself as the "no entries" signal popped up. _So they're careful enough not to mark themselves down on any public search engines…_

I scowled, closing my computer with a curse and flicking my phone out, pushing the speed dial that would connect me to Fred. "_Assassins Inc. here, how may I help you this fine day?_" I rolled my eyes. "Kruger, it's me. I managed to unearth a few things, does Italy and Reconquista rings any bells?" I asked, and waited a moment as his fingers flew across the keys on his keyboard. "_Not until right now. Apparently that's a codename for a failed mission of Iscariot Section Thirteen, Judas Iscariot, the Vatican's anti-heretic and heathen force. It was their effort to retake and "purify" London during the fires and so-called monster attacks. Apparently their huge rivals of the Hellsings, which would explain their reasons to kidnap the girl. I don't like where this is headed, I can take killing adults and handing them over for various weird experiments, but a kid is totally below the belt. I don't suppose…_"

I grinned ferally. "That I could be _possibly_ influenced by such a young and small person? Kruger, you break my heart. See ya." I turned the phone off, turning to Bailey. "Well kid, change of plans, we are now going to return you to your family and scary bodyguard." I said, pulling my scarf off and smiling at her as I threw my workbag over my shoulder. She gaped at me as I began to flip the phone open again, and then paused. "What's your foster mom's cell number?"

_Integra's POV:_

My phone began ringing, and I called Alucard back from his pacing as I pressed answer, not knowing the call number, which simply read "R". "_Would this be Sir Integra Hellsing?_" a female voice asked, and I gritted my teeth. "Yes. Who are you?" There was a moment of silence, and then she spoke again. "_I'm not going to tell you, however it would be nice to ask if this line is secure._" I growled. "You're playing with the wrong person. Nobody but me and you will be able to hear this call." I snapped, and she sighed with relief. "_Well that makes things easier. I am currently in the position to make a trade; however, I want my safety to be guaranteed. Swear by the Hellsing name._" she said briskly, and I paused. "Yes. I swear on the Hellsing name that you will not be harmed or held against your will." I said finally, and I heard her laugh. "_Well that's nice. Hey Bailey, want to talk to your mom? I need both hands for this._" My mouth clicked open as Bailey spoke at the other end. "_Sir Hellsing? Are you really there?_" I nodded, then realized she couldn't hear a nod. "Yes."

"_Oh thank god, I was really getting scared for a second. R's not so bad, but she can be really intimidating when she's not being funny. Don't worry, she's going to drop me off real soon._" She reassured me, and then there was a click. I gripped the phone tightly, silently swearing at this "R", and then it suddenly buzzed to life once more. "_Sorry about that, we went through a tunnel. I'll stop by your current location in about…oh, fifteen minutes, that'll probably leave you enough time to prep some bodyguards n' stuff. Ciao!_" R said happily, and the line clicked off once more.

_Red's POV:_

"So is Anklebiter going to come too?" Bailey asked as I zoomed through the streets, clinging to my back frantically as I popped a few wheelies. "He already is kiddo. Anklebiter is very good at contortion, and although it doesn't look it, he's currently crammed into my fanny pack. Go on, unzip and take a look." I said, and felt the tugs as she obeyed, the pouch at my waistline coming undone to reveal ginger fur and cramped whiskers. "Poor Anki! Is he okay!" she cried, and I rolled my eyes. "_Anklebiter_ has been in far more cramped positions than that. As I have told you several times already, he is a shameless little beggar and suck-up. He's fine." I said impatiently, swerving around a car that seemed to be in a nasty hurry. "Why do you still have the scarf and the ninja outfit?" she asked meekly, and I chuckled to myself. "Well, the people who paid my boss to have me kidnap you might not take kindly to being swindled, not only have I failed to turn you over to them, I am actually having the gall to _return_ you to the bosom of your family" I said impishly, and she giggled.

"Is R really your name?" she asked, and I shook my head. "Nah, it's a codename. I also leave it as a calling card, after my boss has me kill someone I leave an R in the victim's blood on the nearest flat surface. It gives me my own personal signature to the crime, ya know?" I said, weaving in and out of the traffic. "But what is your real name?" she asked, and I sighed. "My name's Red, just Red. Nice to meet you." I said wearily, and she giggled as I lost it and snickered with her, the sun setting behind us. I relaxed my hand on the handlebars, the engine's rumble dying and fading as we slowed, coming to the spot where I had placed my call. I quickly put my game face on and parked us, jabbing the kickstand down with a booted toe and flexing my fingers a little. I slipped a knife out of the wrist sheaths, guiding Bailey with my other hand as we came to exact spot where the phone call had ended up. "Alright kiddo, my job's done, stick around and your mom should be around to pick you up. Stay frosty." I said, ruffling her hair as she looked up at me, saddened. "Don't give me the pouty face, I live with Anklebiter. That lost its effectiveness _real_ quick." I pretended to snap, and she sighed.

"Make sure Anki doesn't get into trouble?" she quavered, and I rolled my eyes, kneeling so I could be less intimidating. "Hey Bailey, don't worry about me. I've lived this long as an assassin, I'm pretty sure I can look after one manky old cat." I said fondly, ducking her head as she flushed and gave me a quick hug. "Be careful Red. Alu might come after you." She whispered against my stomach, and I blinked, then gave her a pat on the head. "Ya, I bet. Now let go squirt, I got places to be." I said, and she obeyed as I turned to walk off. "DUCK!" she suddenly screamed, and I obeyed, rolling and coming to my feet as I saw the man, who must have been Alucard, standing next to her with his gun raised, the bullet having passed within inches of my face. "Oy, I thought her mom gave me a promise?" I said indignantly, and he shrugged. "I didn't." he said with devastating logic, and Bailey scrambled in front of his gun, yanking it down as his eyes went wide. "No! Don't hurt her!" she squealed, and he jerked the gun away.

"Don't _do_ that!" he snarled, grabbing her by the shoulder and giving her a rough shake. He suddenly grunted as I threw a razor-sharp knife into his shoulder, letting go as blood trickled down his sleeve. "Leave Bailey alone. I am being very nice, not only going against orders and my paycheck, I brought the kid here and haven't even harmed her once. The least you could was act the same." I said icily, and he growled, yanking the knife out. I felt a tingle of danger at how well he hid his pain, if he had any at all. Suddenly Anklebiter let out a yowl and I jumped, feeling a hail of bullets pepper the ground beneath me, turning to send some steel shards in reply as several mercenary types charged me, ducking and punching and kicking as they tried to knife me. Alucard was occupied as Bailey actually managed to wrench the huge gun away, screaming at him that she ordered him not to hurt me as my attention was reclaimed by my newest opponent. The rest were currently nursing broken ankles or wrists, and he seemed vaguely more skilled than the others. Suddenly he bowled me over, knife coming to press against my throat as I grabbed his wrist and attempted to force it away, a strawberry blonde braid falling across my shoulder as we finally got a good look at each other. His grip loosened, and my jaw dropped.

"_Peu Rouge_?!" (Little Red?!)

"Pip?!"


	2. Bast

_**I'm being plagued by plotbunnies everywhere. *sigh* Oh, almost forgot to mention, these are all fragments of the stories, I have more but I wanna leave them all at cliffies so you guys feel a more urgent need to find out what happened.**_

_**Bast**_

I opened my eyes. Then I closed them again searing brightness attacking my tender pupils after god-knows-how-long in utter blackness. After a few moments, I opened them again. The light was still harsh, but bearable. I sucked in an unneeded breath, feeling a searing, aching burn in my throat. Ah. I needed to feed. My blazing red orbs, once so imposing, but now weak and rosy raked the scene before me. Humans. They were _everywhere_. The mouth-watering scent of life coursed through my nostrils, sending me practically into a blood frenzy. I closed my eyes once more, cautioning patience. _There will be plenty of time to hunt later. First I must get out of here._ I yanked at the stone that covered and restrained me, but it was as stubborn as ever. I took an unneeded breath again, trying to melt myself into the shadows huddled in the corners of the room, beaten down by those unholy lights in the ceiling that glared down upon me.

No friction squeezed my body, so I assumed the binding had somehow vanished. I smiled slightly beneath my mask, pleased I had some measure of freedom now. This merely meant I was too out of practice to shadow-travel at the moment. Or too weak from lack of…nourishment. That could be easily remedied. My soft, pinked eyes flared at a passing man, and he gaped, mouth slack as he approached. He stumbled slightly, uncoordinated from my hypnosis, and my eyes gleamed, drawing him closer. _Not the best, but anything…I'm so hungry… _I was almost within draining distance now, just a few more steps… "Oy! Stay away from the merchandise sir!" I flicked an irritated glare at a burly man in a strange uniform that shoved my intended victim away from me, growling in frustration as he was dragged away, still trying to reach my sarcophagus prison. I gritted my sharpened fangs as the same result happened again and again, men and the occasional woman –which surprised me- dragging my meals away before they came within touching distance.

I snarled, scrapping my nails against the coffin lid as it stung my hands, whining a little in frustration as it didn't draw the attention of the man currently right below me, in that accursed uniform, warning off any and all before I could snare their minds. I racked my exhausted, starving brain for ideas. Hunger was making it difficult to think, clawing at my belly and throat as I stifled another whine, not wanting to sound like a begging dog as it rumbled constantly. _Damn that pharaoh, he's still guarding me after all these years. Curse him! Curse his name!_ I howled my rage like an animal, pounding against the solid stone of my prison and screaming curses at the humans, my hunger, and what had locked me in here. It did nothing. Just like all my screams, curses, and even occasional begs had done over these thousand years.

_3__rd__ Person POV:_

The security guard tugged his superiors over, pointing out the new coffin from Egypt that had arrived with its pair last night. Muffled scratching and whispers of sound had escaped multiple times over the day, leading him to suspect the ancient stone box was filled with pests, mice or some such. They all agreed, despite the odd admonition of the man in Egypt who had allowed them to ship the box, saying it was never to be opened, not even if a bull was heard within it. They shrugged it off, maneuvering the box carefully to a lab and placing it down, starting to pry the heavy stone lid off. It seemed to be sealed shut with some sort of sticky fluid, and when it was finally wrenched sideways, a chilling, reddish-brown stain cracked and flaked.

"Is this…" one murmured, looking sick. A doctor was called, and after a short analysis, looked faintly sick as well. "Yes. This coffin was sealed shut by dried blood." He whispered, and the others shivered as an expert was called, clicking his glasses and examining the box's sides, searching for clues. His name was Doctor Ronald Cruor. "Apparently this person, whoever they were, was not popular way back when. This box is never supposed to be opened, and I quote-" His fingers traced across the sides. "-_unto the end of the earth, unto the sun goes out, unto the extermination of humanity must this box not be opened, for opening it these things will bring._ Quite unlike all the other curses written on boxes that just focus on revenge upon those who disturb the dead person's resting place, this one promises Armageddon regardless of removal or not, and I don't see any qualifiers that say Egypt will be spared. Quite, quite unusual…" he mused, standing back and stroking his chin as the others shuddered as one, then heaved the heavy stone lid off the even heavier coffin.

"Uh, sir...you may want to see this…" the security breathed, looking stunned, and Dr. Ronald peered in, jaw going slack. Inside was a mummy. Or…was it? This "mummy" was perfectly preserved, looking like the young, healthy, adolescent woman had simply gone to sleep, hands folded over her chest and eyes closed, gold and gems shimmering on her brow and clothes. "Incredible…this is almost unbelievable…the most precious find in all archeology's history, maybe even in the history of the world." He whispered, reached out, then moving back, afraid to damage the specimen. He and the others all stared at the young woman, and the scientist began categorizing her. Raven-black hair, spilling about her head and neck like a halo, lightly tanned golden skin, slim, strong structure, like a cat, nails slightly pointed instead of rounded at the tips, body average but well-defined.

She was wearing a white, knee-length dress made of linen, possibly silk, but linen more likely, sleeves halting at her elbows. Gold and gems were sewn into the hem and seams, and she wore rings on every finger, bespeckled and winking with heavy gems. A huge panel necklace was draped across her neck and collarbone, shimmering gold and shining gems, red and yellow intermingling in a dazzling array. A coronet was fixed to her head, and unlike the rest of her jewelry, it was heavy silver, with a single inscription in hieroglyphs written across the twisting, twining metal. "_Disturb not the sleep of the damned, let this No-Life-Queen lie as she is and seek other treasures. Disturb not Bast._" Ron read softly, then stuffed his fist in his mouth, hyperventilating. "Oh my god…oh my god…gentlemen, this is what the Egyptians believed to be…one of their gods…" he whispered, sitting down heavily in a chair and fanning himself desperately. Sleepy red eyes blinked open, and then a sly grin took its place on crimson lips. "_A god? Maybe of death…_" the mummy purred as the humans all jolted, sitting up and licking her lips as her gaze raked hungrily over them. She easily hoisted herself out, linen gown whispering against the stone and her legs as she stood on untrembling legs.

"Sir?" the security guards and the specialist asked desperately, and Ron's lips moved as he silently translated her words. "_Welcome…Bast. We mean you no harm._" He stumbled over the words, not spoken as a language for many years, and her feral smirk widened. "_A foreigner? I did suppose I was on different soil…my strength is not what it was. Tell me, foreigner who knows the tongue of the pharaohs, what century is it, and what year?_" she asked, and he bowed slightly, Egyptian fashion. "_The twenty-first century madam, and the year-_" She raised an elegant black eyebrow, then her lazy smirk returned as he named the date. "_Three thousand years in that accursed box…_" she murmured, trailing a finger along it. "_No longer. That time is DONE!_" she roared, slamming her fist down, cracking the heavy stone sarcophagus in half and buckling the metal beneath it. The men paled, realizing what strength it would take to do that on a whim. "_Man who speaks the tongue of the pharaohs, I must regret to inform you that I am hungry. And when I hunger, I must FEED!"_ she said, turning to them as her eyes glowed red.

The doors and window slammed shut and locked as the others pounded into them, trying to escape whatever creature they had unleashed as she pounced. Far, far too weak and slow for her liking, but she still moved in the blink of an eye, and her fangs sunk deep into the security guard's throat. She sank to the floor with him under her, eyes closing as horrific sucking and crunching sounds filled the room and the man flailed wildly, trying to knock her off or away as she drank, nails lengthening and hair glossing. She detached her mouth, grinning up at the other humans as blood dripped from her chin, lips and teeth stained a disturbing red as she stood, the security guard's head falling to the ground with a wet thump as the gaping hole in his neck was revealed. Bast flitted from one person to the other, not paying attention to anything as she fed, feeling only the absence of strength and vigor and the need to replenish it. Finally, bodies littered the room and only Ron was left, back thudding into the door as he tried to move away, eyes wide with fear. He screamed as teeth met his neck, trying to push the suddenly much-closer woman away, but claws hooked into his elbows, raking his arms and holding them still as he stumbled, blood rapidly fleeing his body. His last thought before everything faded to black was how funny it all was that a mummy's curse had finally come true.

_***Time Skip***_

Ronald awoke suddenly, with a gasp. His hand automatically went to his neck, and he breathed a sigh of relief when no gaping, scarred wound was found. "_Ah, I wondered when you would wake up. How do you feel, man who speaks the tongue of the pharaohs?_" a familiar voice said, and he froze. "B-B-Bast?" he stuttered, eyes flicking beside him. She chuckled softly, slender white fangs gleaming in the light of his bedroom. "_Good evening. How do you feel?_" she asked again, and he paused. He felt fine. Really fine. Better than he had in ages. "_I feel great._" He said cautiously, and she laughed musically. "_I thought you would. Look at your eyes and teeth._" she said commandingly, tossing him a sharp of mirror_._ He stared into it, then gasped, scrambling away down the bed and hitting the headboard with a thump. His teeth were long. And his eyes were red. "_W-what did you do to me!_" he screamed at her, and the dancing amusement in her eyes was snuffed out. "_Mind your tongue boy. It was not a conscious act on my part that kept you undead whilst the others became my food. If anything, it's your fault…virgin._" She snapped, and added the last bit with a sly gleam in her eyes as he went red.

"_I-I…h-how…how did you know?_" he asked, flushing heavily, and she laughed softly again. "_I know because I turned you. Virgins can be turned, non-virgins cannot. You've been turned, and you are a virgin._" He quickly cast a look down at himself, breathing a sigh of relief as he saw he still had his clothes, bloody though they were. "_I'm staying that way if it's all the same to you._" He said nervously, and she bared her teeth at him in a feral grin he thought might be playful, but was too terrifying to guess. "_Of course. You do not know of the relationship between fledgling and creator, do you? You are my unholy child, my student in the art of darkness, my ward, my pupil. One does not digress into carnal acts with their dark child._" She ticked off the reasons on her elegant fingers, folding them down as she went and then gazing at him levelly. They studied each other for a moment, and Bast's lips turned down slightly.

Giving immortality to humans was often a delicate and fragile process. Choose the wrong one, and everything around you immolates at the speed of sound. This man, who spoke her native language, did not seem to be the sort she would have chosen, if she would have chosen. She had not created a fledgling in…centuries. Which did not amount to much after all, she had spent several millennia in her stone prison, so she had little choice on the matter. Sandy brown hair, a rather timid, meek nature from what she had seen so far, nervous and constantly peering at his newly red eyes, looking lost. He hadn't attempted to make eye contact again after a few moments of studying. His bloody, tattered clothes were that of a scholar, not a fighter or athlete. Her lips turned upwards in another feral smirk. It was good to see she still intimidated _some_ people, even ones like these. "_We must find you food._" She said suddenly, standing and moving away as he gaped at her. "_M-Bast, my clothes are ruined! I can't go out like this; people will think I've killed someone! And I have food right here!_"

"_Then change into something presentable. Feed here, __**if**__ you can._" She said firmly, going back out to his apartment kitchen and sitting in the chair by his tiny little wooden table. She waited as he nervously changed into some other clothes, then came out, flicking frightened little glances in her direction as she deliberately let her eyes wander away. She chuckled softly, remembering his slip of the tongue. Already he was feeling the urge to call her mistress. This fledgling was proving to be quite entertaining. He sat down across from her, still looking nervous as she closed her eyes, waiting for him to start eating. Ronald watched her apparently relax, fidgeting as he picked up an apple, not having the stomach for anything else. He bit into it, and then choked, spitting it out on the table. "Oh my god! What the hell?!" he shouted, scraping at his tongue and spitting repeatedly. He remembered Bast, and flicked a glance across the table, only to see her feral grin, chuckling silently and shaking her head at him. She may not have understood his words, but the tone certainly was intelligible.

"You-!" he began, but remembered she couldn't speak English. "_You knew I could eat this, didn't you!_" he shouted, pointing to the apple as she smirked to herself. "_Of course I did. We cannot consume mortal foods, because we are no longer mortal. You wouldn't have believed me anyway._" She said calmly, leading the way out the door and melting right through it, leaving him to fumble with the keys and then slam it open irritably. He grudgingly admitted in his mind he wouldn't have listened to her if she warned him off the food. "_Something I've been wondering, why aren't you more…uncomfortable? This is technology you haven't seen, three thousand years in the future._" He asked as she pressed the button to open the elevator, still smirking to herself. "_I know everything my victims know. I have absorbed their memories and consciousness into myself, and they have become one with me. Familiars._" She said briskly, stepping inside with him.

His hand crept to his own neck, and he gulped slightly. "_Yes, that would have happened to you too if you weren't a virgin. How lucky for you._" She said in amusement, catching the nervous twitch. "_Wait, doesn't that mean you can speak English?_" he asked as she moved into the parking lot, walking over to his car with no pause and got in the driver's seat. "_It means I can understand it. I was too hungry with those ones, too quick. I need a better meal to learn the language._" She said, turning his keys, which he did not remember giving to her, and pulling out with yet another feral smirk at the wheel. "Wait, does that mean we're going to kill someone?!" he yelped after a moment, and she snorted. "_I'm not stupid, little boy. This place belongs to someone, like Egypt belonged to me. Do crocodiles dine together? Does a jackal willingly brush flanks with another jackal? I do not presume to hunt and kill in a territory that is not mine without first knowing who owns it, and if I can kill them too._" She said, eyes not leaving the windshield as the dark night flowed past.

He sat in thought for a few moments, huddled away from her slightly in the passenger seat. "What are you? What am I now?" he asked suddenly, and she let her eyes wander over to his. "_I suppose you could call yourself a vampire now. You haven't taken blood, so you're really still an infant in immortal terms._" She said calmly, sending him into another dizzying spiral of thought. "And…you?" he asked, almost afraid to hear the answer. Her sharp white teeth were suddenly bared in a feral grin as she laughed softly. "_I am a No-Life-__**Queen**__. My power dwarves yours as the sun dwarves a candle._" She said with relish, crimson eyes gleaming at him with concealed amusement. They were deeper then they had been before, darker, more like blood than the pastel rosy hue they were before he realized, a chill riding up his spine. "_Attend. It is time to teach you a little more about ourselves._" She said abruptly, leaning back in the seat as she piloted the car with one finger.

"Umm…okay?" he said meekly as she shot him a look that dared him to argue. "_Good. You are my fledgling, my protégé of vampirism. You obey my commands, and you will also feel an urge to call me master, or mistress since I am female. The urge will grow the longer you resist. I doubt you will be able to resist much longer, you've already slipped once. I created you, and you will earn your freedom by the drinking of blood. I can release you at any time if I so wish, but will not do so because I find you useful to me. We are going to a place where I can show you more accurately about what you have become, as well as being able to feed freely._" She said briskly, as he suddenly realized she always spoke, quick and sharp and clear, like a lecturer or a schoolteacher. "I wondered about that. You're saying its normal? And if I just drink blood I don't have to listen to you anymore?" he asked incredulously, and she chuckled and nodded. "_Count yourself lucky. I could've exterminated you when you were in the transformation stage, but I spared your unlife. I may know much about this modern world, but I am still not adept at blending at this stage. I'm also still __**starved**__ of blood._" She put a hand to her flat stomach as she said this, scowling.

He sat in silence for a few moments, then his brain revved up again. "That's why you're suddenly so much healthier. And when we woke you up, why you were so feral. You've been seriously weakened from lack of feeding over the years, haven't you?" he mused out loud, and her knuckles tightened on the wheel. "And why you spared me. You know the basics, but in the modern world, you're like a fish out of water. You _need_ me. You couldn't survive without me." He added, and he was suddenly wrenched back against the seat, her nails scant inches from his eye. "_I am being merciful and expedient. I need you to tell me things, and I don't think you need much of your physical anatomy to do that, do you? Like your eyes. You don't need those to talk. Actually, I can dismember you limb by limb over the course of several days, and you can still be able to talk, can't you? I am Bast, No-Life-Queen of Egypt. I've killed thousands of the pharaohs' armies, drank their blood and gained their minds as mine to use. The foolish humans of Egypt worshipped me as a goddess, the goddess and protector of cats, and you'll find that cats do not like their weaknesses being waved in front of their noses._" She snarled, eyes burning into his.

"Watch the road!" he cried as the car jerked slightly, and she snorted. "_Even if this miserable, reeking machine smashed itself to bits, I would be unharmed. I can always __**salvage **__you. Now be a good little fledgling and be silent._" She hissed, and then moved back, flowing through the air and reforming at the wheel, not watching as he coughed and inhaled, then stopped, realizing he didn't need the air. He massaged his throat where her nails had been, and sighed as he realized the flesh was undamaged. He glanced at her as she drove, noticing she had rid herself of all the gold jewelry sometime between his turning and awakening. Now she wore only the white dress, but it still shimmered and winked in the dim light of the car as jewels caught the light and gold sparked and shone. "Um…that might be a bit noticeable if we're going anywhere modern. You might want to change." He said sheepishly, and she smirked.

"_Change? I'm not wearing anything._" She said calmly, and he choked, flicking an involuntary look at her arms, which still had the blood-stained linen. "Uh…" he muttered, scratching his head and flushing. "_Ah, I forgot you know so little. I'm wearing my shadows, which are as much part of me as they are the darkness. They only mimic clothing, so in the eyes of reality, I'm not wearing anything. I haven't in centuries._" She chuckled, smirking to herself as she smoothed the fabric in her lap down slightly. His flush faded slightly, but did not vanish now that he knew the very female figure beside him was in essence stark naked. "_I take it this has gone out of fashion. Oh well. Hold an image of female's clothing in your mind, and we will see._" She said calmly, reaching over and placing a hand over his heart. He tentatively thought of something, but it immediately deviated into Catwoman from the Batman comics, and he stifled a chuckle. There was a slight rustle behind him, and he gaped, blush rising again as Bast was clothed in a black, form-fitting body suit as she raised an eyebrow.

"_I won't ask, but it does suit me rather well, doesn't it?_" she asked, and he furrowed his brow, unsure if that was a joke or a reprimand. She examined herself, and he did the same unconsciously, agreeing with her. "_But if I alter it a little…_" she murmured, and he blinked as a short tunic appeared over the suit, and the arms receded to her armpits, the tips staying and lengthening to become fingerless gloves. "_There. Will this fit in?_" she asked, and he shrugged. "Better than the white dress, but it'll still stand out anywhere but a club." He admitted, and her fangs were bared in a feral grin he was starting to recognize as her form of playful laughter. "_Excellent. A club is where we are going._" She said, turning the keys suddenly and getting out as he did the same, realizing they were there. She took a deep breath through her nose, eyes closing and then opening as she smirked in satisfaction. "_Inhale. Sniff. What do you smell?_" she asked him suddenly, and he obeyed, too startled to do anything else.

He suddenly realized that everything was so much more crisp. Like she had said before, his car did reek of petrol and gas, and he wrinkled his nose. But he figured that was not what she was asking, and sniffed again. The club. He felt tugged toward it, like he belonged, but did not smell anything different, except for it reeked of copper and electricity. "My car, copper from the club, and some weird electrical smell. Like ozone." He said finally, and her face broke in another terrifying grin. "_Sharp boy. The car isn't important, pay it no mind. But the "copper" and "ozone"? That's the scent of __**us**__. Our kind. Remember boy, when all else fails, scent remains._" She said briskly, stepping forward and stopping in front of the bouncer. She studied him for a moment, and Ronald crept up, confused. The man's eyes were faintly tinted pink, but they looked to be a human brown. "_Ah. I see how this is then._" She said suddenly, stepping inside and opening the doors as he edged past the muscled wall. "_What?_" he asked, nervously slipping into Egyptian to better code their talk.

"_This was a normal human club until three nights ago. Now vampires of the most pathetic, weak nature I have ever seen in my unlife have taken over, and are drawing new victims in by saying the club has free entrance. They keep the lot placated and happy through hypnotism, which is signaled by a faint but ever-present pink tinge to the normal eye color. It's an even mix of humans, vampires, and a very large amount of ghouls kept in a locked room._" She said, and he shrank closer to her. "_Ghouls?_" She seemed to ponder the word for a moment, pausing in the doors to the very entrance of the club. "_I suppose a more modern term is…zombies?_" She tried the word uncertainly, the name falling clumsily off her tongue. "_Now then my fledgling, stay very close to me and we will see what we can do. Remember, pink will be a hypnotized human. Any kind of red is a vampire such as ourselves._" She said, opening the doors as light and sound blasted their ears.


	3. Blood n' Guts

_**Blood, ick, my job here is done.**_

_Gemetzel's POV:_

Blood. Ghouls. _Everywhere._ I launched myself forward silently, my right-hand knife sinking deep into a ghoul's throat and slashing to the side as I grabbed its shoulder, pushing it back and whirling to throw the bloody blade deep into the eye socket of yet another ghoul, an older woman with her throat torn open and grey curls hanging about her vacant glowing gaze. Sterben's silent automatic pistols were clicking softly as the bullets hit ghoul after ghoul, blood spattering the walls of what was once a rest home for the elder members of society. Now it was hell. Now it was a place of undead. And the exterminators. _Us._

He loaded another clip as the last zombie-like creature collapsed to the ground, the familiar sound of steel sliding home sending a pleasant tingle down my spine. I retrieved my knives, walking side by side with him as we went to clear the next room. This was a two-story, multi-roomed building, formerly an asylum, which meant several dozen rooms to clear as well as many halls and a second floor above us most likely filled to the brim with what used to be nurses, doctors, and overseers. And since a loud, potty-mouthed challenge had not been issued, the vampire source as well. I took the door again, kicking it down and clearing a space for Sterben as the soft click of the trigger filled the air again, slashing the throat of a ghoul as blood sprayed into my face and soaked into my hair, blinding me for a moment before I blinked rapidly and cut another ghoul, an icy smirk of satisfaction lighting my face. The moans were the only sound except for the tiny clicks of the gun, both of us utterly silent as we cleared this room as well.

That marked clearance for this floor. We were at the door once again, and I opened it, lightly tracing a finger down it twice in a cross pattern, then writing the words "_Cleared_" down with the copious amounts of blood dripping from the slender digit. I walked back inside, and we proceeded to walk up the stairs, guns and blades at the ready. "_Dezimieren. Beseitigung._ (Decimate. Eradicate.)" I said softly, pointing a knife towards the door with grim purpose, and he nodded once. "_Jawohl._" I kicked the door down, and we both pressed back as gunfire began bursting around our ears, flattened against the wall as bullets strafed the wall and ceiling down the stairs. It stopped for a moment, and without a murmur we ran into the hall, seeing a young man with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth cursing violently, smacking a sub-standard machine gun repeatedly and then dropping it and advancing with a roar. I ducked under his wild blow and shoved my hand up, the blade sliding home with a soft _snick_. I sliced sideways, and blood fountained out, coating me with a fresh sheen as the old, brownish-dried stuff dampened crimson once again.

Sterben was already firing rapidly, shells dropping to the ground as ghouls spurted blood and collapsed, his leg pressing into my back and helping me as I rose, flicking the dripping blood off my knife before charging into the fray as well. The hall momentarily cleared, we went into the first room on the left, kicking it down to see a child-ghoul, gnawing on a still-warm disembodied leg as I spotted its owner in the corner, stone dead and soon to resurrect. "_Schei__ß_." I whispered, and the ghoul scuttled away as Sterben raised his guns, perhaps retaining enough intelligence to know the weapon was deadly. I cornered it, stabbing quickly into the socket as it thrashed and snapped, trying to scurry away like all those cursed child ghouls seemed to do, having far more mobility than their "older" counterparts that only stumbled and staggered.

He preformed the mercy shot for the dead woman, and we walked out, taking the time to inscribe the cross on the door and write _cleared_. I kicked in the next door, and we walked in slowly, seeing nothing. I heard the faintest, most tiny whisper of sound, and lunged out of the way as Sterben fired an instinctive shot, killing the vampire that had melted out of nowhere, making the undead fall to the floor with a muted thud, bleeding heavily from a neat hole in the center of its forehead. We walked in more, seeing beds and trolleys laid out in neat rows. My red-soaked leather combat boots thudded softly on the white enamel floor, bloody footprints following in my wake. Sterben walked in the row adjacent, silent as well except for the almost noiseless pad of our feet. We came together as if by chance, nodding once before walking out. I marked this door with a bloody X, instead of the cross, and wrote "_Source 2/? Terminated_".

The next room was empty as well, another ward with all white, nothing but white, white cotton bed sheets and white mattresses and white bedtables and white floors and ceilings. But all of it was spattered, soaked, and streaked with blood to make the most introspective patterns. After concluding the same result as the last ward, mainly that nothing was there, we nodded again and walked out, closing the door without marking it and moving on, but leaving a bloody handprint on the wall next to the knob to remind ourselves that we had checked it already. We kept going silently, dispatching more of the ghouls, but finally stopping at the end of the left-hand side. I raised my knives, but we both paused as we heard voices downstairs.

"Oh god…OH GOD!" The sound of someone purging their stomach.

"Sir…how…how on earth is this possible?"

"Alright, spread out and search, this area may still be a danger zone and we have no idea what's going on right now."

"Right."

"Yes sir."

I narrowed my eyes, pulling out some of my own guns as we walked over to the stairs. "_Beseitigung?_ (Eradicate?)" Sterben asked softly, aiming his dual pistols down the stairs, and I just barely shook my head. "_Kein. __B__ändigen._ (No. Subdue.) " I said softly, and he nodded. "_Ja._" The first officer's head just barely popped above the overhang, and a tiny dart sank deep into his forehead as Sterben caught his body, dragging him away without a thump and putting him in one of the cleared rooms. The next man came up, and went down, but he had a partner, who screamed an alarm. I cursed softly, my triggers clicking rapidly as the police responded in kind, bullets strafing the air around us. Finally, they were out of men, and I lowered my guns as we began dragging them into the largest cleared room and promptly locked the door, before continuing to the right side and beginning to work through the rooms there.

I took my knife back out, feeling the comforting weight of almost pure silver in my hands as I punched the next door, blasting it off its hinges as ghouls rose from their twitching victims. I ran in, ducking my head as Sterben's bullets flew about my ears, hacking and slashing blindly as blood sprayed my face and arms. Rotting flesh and shattered bone fell to the ground with hollow thumps, blood spreading from the impact in wide stains as it splattered our boots. We walked in further, utterly silent except for our quiet breathing and soft footfalls, the blood splashing slightly as we walked past a ghoul's heart or heart. This room was clearly for storage, and once more there were no survivors, undead or otherwise. We walked back out, and I preformed the cross, writing _Cleared_ on it in bloody letters before we walked onto the next room. This was a closet, and obviously too small for anything, however, I heard a small noise and whipped my knife up, stopping as I saw a tiny child, traumatized and barely refraining from screams she somehow knew would bring ghouls down upon her. I lowered the knife and gave her a slight nod before leaning back out, closing the door behind me and writing "_Survivor_" on it with a pentagram by the knob.

We moved on, and the next six were also closets, small offices, and one larger ward like the others, all having at least one ghoul in them. We finally finished off, and I looked back along the hallway. Bloody crosses and the occasional X or handprint disfigured the doors and walls, with more blood spattered all over the whitewash and ceiling, and the pristine wooden floorboards. We smirked to each other as we caught the frantic pounding on the door that we had first investigated, the policemen's shouts reaching our ears. But that room was clear, and we set a time lock on it before walking away. The moon shone bright and full overhead as we paused on the incline, watching as the men scrambled out of the window, carrying the small girl with them. "_Jetzt? _(Now?)" Sterben asked, flicking the top off of the detonator switch in his hand. "_Ja. Licht sie._ (Light it)" I agreed, and he pressed the trigger.

The house immolated in a flare of gas as the men screamed and staggered away, burning shrapnel raining down upon them as we smirked to ourselves. We sat down, and I unlaced my boots as Sterben stripped his shirt, wringing out the blood and gore that soaked the black fabric. Blood had pooled in my boots, and the white socks were now more crimson than even pink, never mind _white_. I began wringing them out, the red liquid dripping heavily to the green grass as I shook my hair rapidly, like a dog shedding water. Red spattered on Sterben's face, and he gave me a glare that I brushed away, smirking at him as I stripped my own shirt and wrung out the blood, watching him unlace his boots and begin to un-soak his socks as well. I pulled my pants down as well, expertly wringing out as much of the wet, sticky blood as I could before putting them back on as Sterben did the same. We took no shame in the other's near-naked state. It mattered little to us, as close as we were.

Now that most of the blood was gone, we put our boots back on and began walking, tromping silently through the woods as bird and animal calls echoed around us. After about three or four hours of walking without pause, we came to our sheltered campsite. I sat down by my bedroll, pulling the covering away as Sterben did the same. We turned in, and I closed my eyes as sleep washed over me in a wave. About thirty minutes later, as the sun began to lighten the very edge of the sky, they snapped open, rustling sounds alerting me. Within the space of seconds my bedroll was in my pack and my boots were on my feet, touching Sterben once on the shoulder as he nodded and hoisted his pack over his own narrow shoulders. We were off, scrambling silently through the brush as I caught sight of confused police officers, dogs barking on leashes, inspecting what seemed to be a natural clearing. "_Gut gemacht_. (Well done)." Sterben murmured, and I nodded, aiming without conscious thought to shoot a tranquilizer into the mutts following us as they fell with yelps.

_Jeff's POV:_

"God…so this isn't just an urban legend?" I asked, in shock as I dropped the file back on the desk. One of the older officers snorted, putting down his cup of coffee and giving me an amused look. "It isn't _just_ an urban legend sir. The Hansel and Gretel case goes way, _way_ back." he said softly. It was the end of the day, and many greenhorns like me were all gathered around, eyeing the new source of information curiously. He sensed he had an audience, and took a deep gulp of the caffeine-soused drink before continuing. "The actual names of the two are unknown; however it has been amply proven they are at least German speaking, if not completely Germanic in origin. Their case and aliases have been deemed "Hansel and Gretel" because they're supposedly a pair of siblings that immolate their target's dwellings once they've killed them. The first incident was just by the Black Forest in Germany, a brothel. Screams and gunfire were heard, and when the police investigated they found doors marked in crosses, Xs, handprints, and pentagrams in some kind of sick code."

Jeff shivered, noticing everyone else was leaning closer to the older policeman, and he realized with a twitch he was too. "They didn't get much farther than that. Shortly before they could walk up the stairs, a young woman came down and started shooting. They've since determined she fired a specialized form of toxin that disrupts memory for short periods and knocks the recipient out. They woke up outside, with the place in flames. So far, this is all hard fact; if you don't believe me, look it up in the records. You'll find it there." He said calmly, taking a huge sip of the coffee. "Next Hansel and Gretel case was in France. This time it was an orphanage, and almost exactly as before, the police found the symbols, the blood, and the woman. But this time she wasn't alone, her partner was a male of the same age and build, who is assumed to be her sibling. But something else was new as well." He paused for effect, knowing every man there was hanging on each word.

"There were survivors this time, one of the caretakers and three of the children, two girls and one boy. They all reported the same boy and girl that came upon their hiding spot, shoved them out of the building and pointed along the drive in a clear order to get out. Now, there's a lot of the  
urban legend" part that takes over now, which goes into all sorts of detail, such as misguided information that the four survivors were spared because of their families, which were assumed to be German, or that the two poisoned them later, or that they simply let them go for sport in hunting them down later, but fact remains, these four did survive. The police had gone in by the time they left, and were met with the same thing, darts, unconsciousness, slight memory loss, and a burning building." He paused to take another sip of coffee, then went on.

"The next Hansel and Gretel case was in Ukraine. By now, people had begun to take notice of these mass killings that seemed to span countries. Africa, Australia, and both Americas were shutting down immigration rates, afraid the Hansel and Gretel problem would take their sick game overseas, and Asia was in a panic to say the least. After all, this makes murder history, so many deaths in so short a time, with a serial-killer like pattern but completely random targets, with only two people as the murders. Anyway, the Hansel and Gretel pair came to a hotel this time, and as usual, killed everyone there and immolated the building after knocking the police force out and evacuating some other personnel." He said, and someone else broke a question that Jeff had been wondering for a little bit.

"But sir, why let some go when they killed everyone else?" The man shrugged. "I don't pretend to know their reasoning, but my personal guess is that they spared them out of something other than mercy, count on that. But they didn't qualify or anything, they simply yanked them out of wherever they were hiding and pushed them out the door before continuing on their rampage." He said ponderously, and there was a long silence. "Well, that's enough of that, we need to do our jobs and catch these sickos." Jeff said awkwardly, standing as his more senior officers nodded approvingly, going back to whatever they were doing. As the son of a high-ranking police officer himself, he had an elevated position that did not quite suit his greenhorn year, but he was an honest and hard worker and there was very little grumbling. And he felt a sworn duty to find and crush these bloodthirsty criminals that sowed so much wanton death.


	4. Contra

_**Contra**_

The wind whispered through the bare, bony branches of the trees, making an eerie whooshing sound. Leaves swirled around their trunks, inscribing almost-pictures in the still, cold air. Frost was glazed over the tombstones, giving them a ghost-like sheen. No birds sang, no rodents scrabbled through the dry, dead grass. It was a place of waiting, of stillness, of quiet. A place not meant for the living to tread. Footsteps, light and soft, almost a tiptoe, break the silence as a hooded figure approaches the center of the graveyard, something clutched inside their cloak. An eerie, haunting cry drifted in the chilly air. "No. Not tonight." A feminine voice said, as a large, dark-winged shape landed on a crooked stone covered with moss. "These dead deserve their peace." It hooted like an owl, ruffling its feathers and cocking its head curiously. "No Pitch. We have come to give respect."

The strange creature hooted again, flying towards one of the tress and landing, surveying the graveyard through watchful red eyes. The woman approached the center stone, a common grave for at least three people. "On this day I come." She said, fidgeting nervously. "I come to give you my thanks and blessing for all you taught me." She bowed her head, sliding a slim-fingered hand out, delicately clutching a single black rose. "May you find peace." She said softly, placing it in front of the grave and kissing her fingers. "My thanks to the fortunate dead." She said, bowing her head again, before turning and walking away. "Pitch!" She called softly, and it flew to her, landing on her shoulder and trying to run its beak through her covered hair. "Stop Pitch. I need no comfort." She said stiffly, gently pushing him away. "I have no one and I need no one. I have you as my partner, but it is in business and a deal, not as a friend.

He hooted derisively, jerking his beak back at the tombstones. "I do not need them either. They taught me much and I follow their wishes. You remember, don't you? "Please come see us in our lonely graves" Pah! They certainly have company enough. But I gave them my word and I have precious little left. You should know that by now." Pitch gave a very un-owllike sigh, shaking his head. "I do not "have" you. You are a property unto yourself. As my partner, when I die, you will probably very easily forget I ever even existed." He shreed in indignation, launching himself off her shoulder and soaring off into the night. A chuckle was heard, and slim white hands pushed her hood back, letting the wind blow stray strands of her silvery hair into her young face. "So now not only have I lost my family, my friends, my teachers, and my sanity…" she threw her head back, laughing at the full moon overhead. "It seems I have lost my partner for the night as well!" she chuckled, shaking with mirth and grinning manically.

_***Time Skip***_

Pounding music. Throbbing lights. Aching eyes. The silvery haired woman rubbed her forehead, scanning the room with hard and speculative hazel eyes. "Why, _hello_ sunshine. What's a chick like you doing in a place like this?" a slurring voice said, and a drunken man in biker's clothes slid, or rather, fell, into the seat next to her. "Looking. Hello." She said, masking the flash of hatred in her eyes and shaking his hand. He chuckled, leaning closer to her and sniffing. "Mmm. Hey babe, wanna…" he jerked his head at a door, and she smiled at him brightly and blankly, letting him drag her over and open it. It came out in an alley, and he carefully, imperceptibly, trapped her against the wall. He sniffed her again, rubbing his hands on her shoulders. "Hey babe, love the bling, but, it's getting in the way…" he said, trailing off and raising an eyebrow suggestively.

"What, this?" she asked, pulling a shiny pendant out of her shirt, a triangle with pointed edges. He nodded eagerly, and she pouted. "But mister, this is my favorite necklace, I use it…" she gripped it tighter, and a dangerous glint came into her eyes. "To exterminate vampire trash like yourself!" She snarled, slicing the blessed silver at him, but he jumped away. She growled in frustration, jumping at him again, but he easily turned aside her blow and slapped her into the opposite wall. She hit it with a snarl, launching herself back at him recklessly, grabbing him by the hair and plunging one of the sharp points into his skull, right in the middle of his forehead. He choked, eyes rolling in his head as he stiffened and collapsed. She let go, spitting on him, and surveyed herself. Scrapes and bruises, nothing more. She grunted in satisfaction and tugged at the pendant, but let go when he twitched and moaned again. "Damn, not deep enough." She hissed, crouching by him.

The skin around the silver was collapsing, rapidly turning to ashes before her eyes. "Do I finish you off now, or wait for it to kill you slower…" she mused, tapping her chin with a finger. She was about to get up when she remembered something. "Gah. Stupid evidence." She growled, kicking him and yanking the pendant out. He twitched, moaning louder. She grabbed a brick, fallen or pried out of the wall for months, and started pounding a stake into his heart. When he finally collapsed into ashes, she growled in satisfaction and sifted it between her fingers. "Nobody looks for sticks as murder weapons." She said softly, smirking, as she got up and started walking home, limping a little.

_***Time Skip***_

"Again?" A woman with grey-streaked brown hair and neat glasses moaned, shuffling papers. A medical-looking person nodded, sighing. "Third time this month. Luckily just scrapes and bruises. Have you tried confining her with actual force?" The woman kneaded her forehead. "We've locked her up, chained her to the bed, stationed guards, straightjacketed her, drugged her, but she refuses to stay put. I just count our lucky stars she hasn't hurt anyone or herself too badly." He snorted. "Last month? The others thought she would have to walk with a crutch the rest of her bloody life! And you call that not too damaging?" The woman sighed. "If you've seen her medical record, it isn't. I can't believe that girl still actively looks for fights, or so it seems. By now she shouldn't even be able to walk or use her hands what with all that's happened to her."

The doctor perked up. "May I see them?" The woman nodded and wearily opened her desk drawer, handing the file to him. He looked it over, wincing a few times, and whistled under his breath once. "Wow. Just, wow. Forget walking and using her hands, this girl shouldn't be in anything less that a full body cast." He said finally, pushing it back to her. She nodded. "We've asked her of course, but she firmly states it is none of our business, and that it is neither illegal nor immoral." The doctor coughed. "Have you…confirmed that?" she nodded. "Virgin, so no worries there. I just want to know what she's up to." He nodded. "Well then, I have no clue what to offer you. Let's hope next time we meet is _not_ over a certain someone's medical bills or condition. Good day." He tipped an invisible hat to her and walked out.

There was a moment of silence. "Contra, get in here." The woman said sharply, and a silver-haired female limped into the room, gingerly holding an ice pack to her side. "Sit down as usual." She said, not looking up, and Contra, as she was apparently known, flopped down into her very own naughty chair. The woman looked up and pushed her glasses higher on her nose. "Now Contra, the truth, please. What are you doing every night? We caught your tracker at the graveyard and a bar. Please, we're worried your necrophilia is getting worse." Contra snorted. "Pardon me, Mrs. Jashige, but I don't have necrophilia." Mrs. Jashige sighed. "Contra, we've been over this. Obsession with the dead is necrophilia, and even you cannot wriggle around the fact you are obsessed." Contra sighed, putting her face in her hands. "Whatever."

Mrs. Jashige tried again. "Contra, what were you doing last night?" Contra glared at her silently. "Fine. They died seven years ago yesterday, and told me once to visit their graves on their anniversary. That's it, that's all, can I go now?" Mrs. Jashige tapped a finger on her desk, "The bar?" Contra shrugged silently. "Maybe it was a fluke. I don't drink or… certain activities." A slight flush crept into her cheeks as she said this, and she looked away, out the window. Mrs. Jashige sighed. "Contra, that is state of the art technology, it can't…" Contra was ignoring her, eyes widening slightly at the sight of a black pigeon on the window sill. _Go away Pitch_. She mouthed, and jumped when Mrs. Jashige said something louder. "Contra! Are you listening to me?" Contra thought for a second, then shook her head. Mrs. Jashige turned red and began ranting, which was further ignored.

She finally ran out of air, and gasped, seeing Contra's eyes closed, and her apparently asleep. "Oh that is it! Gerald, take her back to her cell and _make sure she stays there_!" The man nodded, hauling Contra upright and carrying her through a long hallway. Gasps and cries echoed from the walls, and in one cell a boy was talking to himself, rocking back and forth. He ignored all this and shoved Contra in her own little cell, locking the door, her chain, and straightjacket before hunching over in the corner. She sat up, long since used to moving without the use of her arms, and smiled brightly at him. She looked back down, wiggling the foot with a chain attached to it, and giggled. She closed her eyes, leaning back and apparently going to sleep again. _Pitch, guard, chain, straightjacket, and door. They haven't learned anything yet, have they?_

He chuckled, hovering above the guard, who had not noticed the looming presence. _Contra, when will you ever learn to be more careful? Even weak, cheap, factory made garbage like that wannabe is still more than enough to easily kill you in one casual blow._ Contra curled up, smirking. _Why? Living has no interest for me, so if I throw myself at enough vampires, one will eventually kill me. Meanwhile I am ridding the world of a plague, an infestation. Tell me in what way that is not good._ He sighed. _You aren't supposed to be suicidal. Brave, yes, suicidal, no. Tell me if I'm wrong, but is or is it not your usual style to charge in head-on, not dodging any attacks, and hitting them in the most painful, but not lethal, way? If killing vampires is what you want, you need to try and survive your fights._

She shook her head. _That is my style, but once I'm in, I focus everything I have on killing the undead freaks. If I die, I will die fighting. Otherwise I would have spared vampires the trouble and slit my own throat seven years ago. I want to take as many of them with me to hell as I can first._ He sighed again. _Fine, whatever. Undead man and child, unusual pair, closing in fast on an abandoned mansion that's open to the public for a few nights, intending to drain the lot. You'll need a bigger stash of weapons that what you have now, so I'll free you early._ She nodded, sitting up and glancing at the sunlight streaming through her cell door. It was going to take a long, long time until the night came.

_Contra's POV:_

Time crawled by so slowly. Each and every night I flirted with death, but it never took me. Would tonight be that night? My breathing quickened with excitement. My teachers and parents had said I was the best they'd seen, but what did they know of vampires? Nothing. They knew nothing of what killed and ate them slowly, savoring each stolen drop like the best aged wine. It never knew of me either, but as soon as I moved it was aware. To humans, my family, I was like a hummingbird, almost too quick for the eye to follow. To vampires, as I had found to my cost, I was a slow, sluggish snail, every movement etched on my face as soon as the thought occurred to try it. I was beaten and broken and left to die, as he had drank his fill. Left for the authorities to find and classify like an insect.

Over the years, as I quickly learned the ways of the supernatural world that lay underneath the normal one, my life there slowly declined. I was moved from foster home to foster home, then to government boarding houses, and at last, to a quick series of mental homes. Necrophilia, obsession with the dead, was what they labeled _me_ with, since I was indeed obsessed with them, my dead family and undead enemies. Although some people gave me some weird looks, and I eventually found out necrophiliacs are usually _sexually_ obsessed with the dead. That made me so sick I threw up for a week before I was finally able to start hunting again. Pitch was as close as I had to a friend, my ally, and my tracker hound. Well, hound in the relative sense, because I had only seen him in bird or spirit form before. But he knew everything supernatural like the back of his hand, and usually led me to my opponents, or my suppliers.

Such was the person he was taking me to tonight. As the sun set, the guard became more suspicious, glaring at me as I sat up and arched my back, cracking my neck as I stretched. Suddenly his eyes snapped shut and he fell as the spectral cloud that was Pitch hovered over to me, and the straightjacket fell to the ground in a huddled mass of buckles and straps. I stretched my arms, working the kinks out as he opened the chain on my foot as well, before I hopped off the bed, waiting expectantly at the door. He chuckled and drifted over, and the door popped open. I curled up, waiting for him to move, and the world, reality really, bent and twisted around me. It resolved, and I looked up to see a state-of-the-art building complex, with his owl form, although no owl was pure black with red eyes, waiting impatiently at the door. I gulped and walked up, him landing on my shoulder as I pushed the door in. A man with glasses was reading the newspaper at the counter, and I paused, thinking.

"Do you have any blessed silver blades I could buy?" I asked, shifting Pitch on my shoulder. He chuckled. "Do we have silver? Do we have silver!? Madam, you insult me. We have the finest collection of silver in Britain." He ushered me into a room full of display cases, and he took out a ring of keys. "Do you have an arsenal in mind?" he quipped, and I blinked. "Uh, martial arts? My family taught me them and I can use those well enough, and maybe a katana if you can spare one." He smirked and pulled out a weapons case. "Eh? What about that then? Our wares are meticulously blessed and the purest silver we can legally find." He said proudly, and I inspected the set of throwing stars, knives, and daggers, all polished to a shiny glow. "I like this." I said, reaching inside my pocket.

He nodded, motioning me to a different case. "Here are all our swords, you may take your pick." I lifted the nearest one out, a broadsword with a dragon head's hilt. All the swords were beautifully crafted, but I was worried about utility. A katana drew my eye, it was about my size, with room if I decided to grow a bit more. The hilt was black with copper designs of spiraling smoke, and the pommel had a flame carved in it. I lifted it, testing the weight, balance, and finally, edge. "I'll take this one." I said firmly, and the man nodded and moved to the cash register. "Are you from Hellsing? There may be a discount since they buy so much." He said, and I shook my head. "No. I work alone." I said harshly, clenching my fingers around my new sword. He nodded, giving me the sheath and case of other weapons. "Well, that'll be a five thousand dollars." He said causally, like that was lunch money, and I gave him all the cash I had on me, as well as a few silver things that I no longer needed.

"Thank you for coming." He said as I swept out, and Pitch moved me to a park where I could put it all on. I sheathed my new sword last of all, and wondered if I should name it like some members of my family used to name their weapons. _Let it remain nameless until you have found the right name. _ Pitch suggested, and I nodded, putting the hood of my hunting cloak up and streaking across the grass. He did not follow. It was not part of our deal for him to fight alongside me, and he saw no reason to get himself killed. My breaths were quick and quiet, and I run up the trunk of a tree, scanning the horizon. The target was near, as the blazing lights and harsh screams testified. I frowned. Screams meant ghouls, and they got in the way of my real target.

_Integra's POV:_

I sighed, scanning the sheets of paper for anything else that needed doing here and now before I went to bed. There was nothing, and I was just about to get up when Walter swept in, letter in hand. "From the Board of Psychiatry mam. They have a "special patient" that they demand we take across our knee." I groaned, sitting back down and slitting the letter open. I read it in silence, my brow growing more and more furrowed. "One girl manages to escape and get beaten every night, yet they haven't even gotten a single word out of her about it? I fail to see how _we_ must help." I snarled, throwing it down after a few seconds. Walter bowed. "With respect, she's a necrophiliac. She has an obsession with the dead." I opened my mouth, then closed it. "Fine, send someone over tomorrow. Alucard's busy with that pair up in the north, so Seras can go." I said, and he bowed his way out. "Yes mam."

_3__rd__ Person's POV:_

A lone figure sat on the edge of the roof, watching silently as ghouls stumbled about beneath them. A katana was slung over their shoulder, and their fingers tapped the hilt impatiently as they sighed. The figure stood, and beneath the cloak, more sheathed weapons were hidden, straps crisscrossing her lithe form. She gave one last impatient glance at the ghouls, and took a few steps backward, leaping into the thin air. She plummeted without a sound, landing noiselessly on the front steps. Attracted to the movement, the ghouls all grunted, staggering closer. She remained frozen, even as one ghoul reached out, ragged nails barely brushing her face. She didn't even blink.

The ghoul withdrew its hand, confused, and with what little intelligence it had left decided it had seen nothing. It turned away, and she smirked in triumph, slowly inching towards the open wooden doors. They all grunted, heads swiveling, and she froze again. With the patience of a born hunter she continued this game of red light green light, until she was within the mansion, and slowly inched the doors closed, locking them with a click. She smiled coldly in satisfaction and started prowling the house, smelling blood, hearing screams, seeing ghouls, but not the vampire she sought. After she had thoroughly searched the mansion she growled a little, snapping her fingers. It looked like she had no choice. She drew one of her shorter knives, nicking her finger and trailed it along the wall to lay her scent. Although she knew very little about vampires besides their vulnerabilities, she knew they were attracted to the blood of certain females, usually young ones. So she was baiting a trap, luring the vampires to her location. She trailed the blood all the way to the roof, then sat down to wait.

Alucard paused, sniffing. The vampires were being stubborn, hiding and skulking in corners, but something new had happened. Freshly spilled blood. Female blood. _Virgin_ blood. His mouth watered a little, and without pausing he bit the inside of his cheek, drawing blood to keep himself sated as he strode quickly to that point, knowing the other vampires, the ones with no self-control, would be _running_. He finally came to the spot, but frowned when he saw neither victim nor attacker. The scent was drifting all the way up to the roof, and he opened the door, seeing a small figure with a waiting stance, leaning against a structure that popped out of the roof, a mataince shaft or some such. Her face was in the shadow of the hood on her cloak, and silvery hair flowed to her shoulders. One hand dangled next to the hilt of a sword, and he cocked his head, intrigued. "Are you the one who killed all those idiots down there?" she asked in a raspy voice, like she didn't use it often. He grinned, shaking his head. Now it was her turn to cock her head, confused.

"Are you a vampire?" His smirked widened. "Yes." She unsheathed the sword in one fluid motion. "Then I'm going to kill you again, anyway." She said softly, and his grin reached its largest proportions yet. "It will be interesting to watch you try." He taunted, and she crouched. He didn't pull out the Casull yet, intrigued by what she might try to do. She didn't disappoint, running at him head on as he shook his head sadly. In a serious fight he would have killed her a second after she stepped forward, she was being so obvious. Now he drew the Casull, to see what its threat would make her do. He was surprised, as she completely ignored the very large gun he pointed directly at her heart. He smirked, thumbing the trigger as she neared him.

She crouched, swinging her sword directly up between his knees, and everything went black for a moment as he was sliced in two. She didn't get away unscathed, as a bullet hole appeared in her right shoulder, spurting blood as she clenched it with one hand. He waited to regenerate, wondering what she would do now. "Hmm…" she said, swinging her right arm experimentally. "Maybe this'll get the other ones here faster." She muttered, seeing the blood soaking her arm and dripping onto the ground. If he had been more than a pile of ashes, he would have raised an eyebrow. She acted as if she didn't even care she might bleed out on the ground any second, and that there was still a very large bullet in her shoulder. Neither of them had long to wait, as the young child vampire pretended to run out onto the roof, panting in fear.

"Help! There's a man with scary red eyes!" she wailed, fake tears in her eyes as she approached the wounded huntress. She snorted, shaking her head. "What?" the little girl said indignantly, and the woman neatly pivoted the blade so it was pointed right at the younger girl's throat. "I don't buy that kind of act." She growled, stabbing her through the throat. The girl shrieked and collapsed, neck rapidly turning to ash. The huntress bent down, ignoring the flailing limps and gaping mouth. "Well then girl, it looks like all I have to do is wait and the silver will decapitate you anyway." She said neutrally, and the girl gave a coughing wail. "Please…help me…" she begged, and the woman laughed coldly. "Why would I help something like you? Vampires don't show mercy to me, so why should I show mercy to them? When you came out on the roof, you were planning to drain me, weren't you? Ghoul me and throw away the husk? Rip my throat out? Don't deny that you were. Have a nice death."

She stood up, absently cleaning the sword of Alucard's and the young girl's blood as her screams slowly stopped and bloody tears poured down her face. Alucard was still waiting to regenerate, wanting to see this show all the way to the end. She stopped, whimpering, and then her head finally rolled away from her body, and the entire mess all collapsed into dust. An angry roar was heard, and the older male vampire charged the huntress, knocking her to the ground. Alucard started healing himself a little, just enough to sit up and watch the vampire try to latch onto the woman's neck, whose face showed a strange kind of exhilaration as she held his mouth away from her with one hand, scrabbling at her body with the other. She found some silver and stabbed him through the eye socket, watching absently as he screamed, backing away from her and falling on the ground. She bent down, picking up the sword that had been knocked out of her hand.

"Well then, you're the last." She told the vampire, who was panting on the ground, hissing in and out of his teeth. "Most of the ghouls have already been destroyed after she kicked the bucket, so I guess the rest are yours." She mused, walking over and letting the silver edge trail along his body as he writhed. "Huh. What pathetic copies you are. Do you even have fangs? Only one way to find out." she said, fumbling on her person for something else, and then Alucard grinned when he saw her shove a silver throwing star into the vampire's mouth, checking his teeth as it prevented him from biting her. "Hey, these are cool." She said, grabbing one. "I wonder…" she smirked, giving her hand a vicious twist. He howled in pain, and she grabbed his other fang, doing the same. She held the bloody fangs in her hand, jerking the throwing star out of his mouth as well.

"Sweet. I suppose I can always trade these for something." She said conversationally as he whimpered. She put them in her pocket. "Now then, if you would be so kind-" She said, flicking her sword towards his unprotected neck. "Die." He choked, dissolving, and she bent down with a sigh, picking up the silver knife she had embedded in his eye. "Still alive." She said sorrowfully, looking down at herself and sheathing it. "Maybe next time." She muttered, picking up her pace as she started streaking towards the roof. Alucard finished regenerating as she jumped off, plummeting to the now ghoul-free ground silently. "Yes indeed." He purred, flicking a glance at the two piles of ash. "Maybe next time."

_Contra's POV:_

I sighed in annoyance as Pitch cleaned me up, taking the bullet out and stitching up the wound a little so it wasn't bleeding so much. _It's not fatal._ He said quietly, eyes flicking up to mine. My mood dropped even lower. He smirked and bent me to my room, letting me yawn and stretch, lying myself down on the bed as my guard snored on the floor. A few hours later, by the look of the sun's light as it slipped through the bars, he awoke. "Huh? Wha?" he slurred, looking around. He looked up at me, then slapped his forehead as, unseen, I smirked. "God blast it! Is one single night too much to ask!? One night, just one tiny little night where you stay in your room, that's all I want!" he roared, stomping out and slamming the door shut.

I smirked to myself in silence, proud that I still managed to slip in uncaught, and then Pitch showed up, looking excited. _I smell bloody teeth on you!_ He chirped, flapping his wings energetically. I frowned. "Well I suppose it is the deal." I said wearily as I handed them over. I had no idea what Pitch was, but he had negotiated the entire contract on the basis he got the vampire fangs I sometimes removed, if I could. He seemed to consider them a delicacy. His finished his meal, then froze. _Oh my._ I twitched, shoving my case of weapons out from under the bed and pushing it towards him. "What?" He landed on the handles, looking smug. _There is a vampiress with Mrs. Jashige, talking about you. I'll hide your things, your get ready. No berserker fits, you'll get sent somewhere even harder to get out of than this dump._ I nodded, smoothing my clothes down and tugging my collar over the stitches.

The door grated open, and Gerald marched in. "Alright you miniature Houdini, you're getting transferred." He growled, grabbing me by the elbow and dragging me out to Mrs. Jashige's office. I smirked at the title, then covered it as I saw the vampire. Buxom, blonde, and in military uniform, I had seen enough. "I didn't do anything." I said sullenly, sitting in my chair. Mrs. Jashige looked like she was going to blow a vein. "You disappeared! Again!" she screeched, banging her hands down on the table. I shrugged. "But I didn't do anything." I said, looking at my feet. She sighed. "Mrs. Victoria, you see what we're dealing with here. She refuses to admit she's doing anything wrong." I glared up at her, pushing my silvery hair to one side. "And you refuse to talk to someone right in front of you like they're actually in the room." I snarled, clenching my fists, because that was a very annoying habit she had concerning me. She sighed. "Watch it Contra." She warned, and I scowled.

"It's okay, sometimes kids get a little, adventurous." The vampiress said hesitantly, smiling at me encouragingly. Mrs. Jashige snorted. "When other kids get "adventurous" they go in other people's yards. When _Contra_ does it she drops off our scanners completely, in defiance of our tracking monitor that she is currently wearing, shows up briefly at completely random and unconnected places, and more often than not comes back looking like she's been attacked by a full motorcycle gang. And she refuses to tell us what's going on." I sighed, screening my face with my hair. "Tracking monitor?" the vampiress asked, looking at me curiously. Without glancing at her I threw my legs up on the desk, pulling the leg of my pants up slightly to show her the band of metal and plastic with flashing lights that was strapped across my leg.

"She can't take it off or deactivate it without us knowing. It shows us her GPS location, her vitals, and has a sound recorder that is always up and running. So far as we know, she has never taken it off, yet the times when she is gone it runs blank." She said, hiding her annoyance as she pushed my feet off her desk. I let a proud smile flit its way across my face, then dropped it as soon as Mrs. Jashige glanced my way. Pitch always messed with the electronics before he took me off, so I was rather surprised the monitor actually still worked after all this time, having been temporarily "broken" every night. I sighed, remembering I was going to be transferred, hoping that my new cell might have a window, which made telling time that much easier. "Contra, we're transferring you to these people." Mrs. Jashige said briskly, handing me my bag, which was supplied with all the things I called my own, mostly toiletries and junk like that, toothbrushes, floss, shampoo, the lot. Nothing else.

My weapons, like my new katana and knives set were all with wherever Pitch put my real stuff, like old vampire fangs I had before he showed up and some journals of vampire hunting methods I wrote to myself on free nights, which although not exactly few and far between, I used mostly to train. But still all I could call my own would easily fit in the backpack I donned now, feeling empty air through most of it. The vampiress led me outside, and I scowled at her back, wishing I had some silver free to stab her with. Whatever ward I was going to now was going to be missing a staff personnel when I was done, possibly more than one, since vampires rarely seemed to work alone these days. She opened the car door for me nervously and I slouched in, ignoring her as she perched on the other seat, with an old man in a monocle driving.

"So…your name is Contra? It's…interesting." She said awkwardly after a few seconds, and I nodded once. "Parents give it to you?" I scowled and nodded. "Does it bother you to talk about them? My parents got killed at a young age too…" she said hesitantly, and I pushed aside the curtain of my hair to glare at her. "Why should I care? They've died, they're dead, life moves on. They don't matter to me anymore." I growled, letting it fall back into place. She gaped soundlessly at me for a second. "Bu..But they were your parents!" she gasped, and I sighed, whishing I had something to make her shut up with. "Yeah, I know that. My parents were my parents and my friends were my friends, and my mentors were my mentors, but they're all dead and cold in the ground. I don't need them now, so why miss them?" I hissed, feeling very annoyed. "Do you care about anyone?" she asked, looking sad. I thought. "No. I stand alone." I said, sinking down in the seat and closing my eyes, ignoring any of her further questions.

_***Time Skip***_

I felt a hand on my shoulder and twisted, sinking my nails into it and hissing, as I wrenched it away from me blindly. I heard a yelp and blinked, waking up more to see myself clutching Mrs. Victoria's wrist, my nails digging into her skin. "Don't do that." I said crossly, letting go and wiping my hands on my pants. She nodded, inspecting her wrist for damage. "What Mrs. Victoria was trying to say is, we're here." The old man said, opening my door. I edged out, cocking my head as I saw my new home. It looked like a mansion, which was somehow even creepier than a former hospital like my last home. I silently called for Pitch, and he proved to be nearby, promising he would start searching for some vampires immediately.

I let them lead me up the steps, watching neutrally as people who looked oddly like soldiers, surrounded us and checked us thoroughly for weapons. That was nothing new, as several people, including myself, were labeled suicidal in our old mental home and lots of things could be used as a weapon. I was clear, the other two were clear, and we were escorted up a long staircase, me getting tenser and tenser with every step. This was _not_ a mental home. I wondered exactly who I was being shown to, and silently thanked the fact I was wearing the same triangle pendant for emergencies that I had brought down the other freak with. Maybe I had stumbled onto this whole den of the cursed things. Pitch might not have warned me if he thought I could handle it.

_Integra's POV:_

She was shown in, and several things immediately seemed striking about her. In her picture, she had silvery hair, but now it wasn't swept neatly behind her ears, and it slightly covered her face. Her visible eye darted sharply around the room like she expected to be attacked, and she was stiff and tense as one of the Round Table members. She was slim and pale, like she didn't get much sunlight, and as I motioned her to sit down, she did so with an unconscious grace. I studied what parts of her were visible, and slowly wondered just what sort of person had been shown into my office. Her hair was brushed, and it hung over her face in a way that suggested her hiding it from the world, and she played with the ends nervously. In contrast, her profile was sharp and alert, and the exposed skin on her arms was covered in scrapes and bruises, with old, deep looking white scars.

She was studying me frankly and openly, slowly stopping her nervous fidgeting. "I have taken a look at your file. You are assumed to have necrophilia, posttraumatic stress disorder, suicidal ideation, and frequently have delusions, usually hallucinations. Is this a correct summary of your medical diagnosis?" She nodded once. "Following that, you disappear every night from your room and return in the morning, usually with injuries. Is that correct?" She nodded again. "This has been happening how long?" She shrugged. "Dunno. Haven't kept track." She rasped, clearly unused to using her voice. "Mrs. Contra, with all due respect, your childish games should not go on any longer. Tell me what you do every night. Don't think I won't believe you."

She snapped her mouth shut, eyes drifting to the wall behind me. "Mrs. Contra, don't take that approach with me. If what you're doing is so secret, trust me, what my organization does is more secret and ludicrous. I'll believe you, you just need to say the words." A faint smirked drifted across her face. "Fine." She croaked, eyes flicking back to me and scowling. "I go out and visit my loved ones' graves. Happy?" she snarled, flushing slightly. "I don't believe you." I said frankly, putting a cigar in my mouth. "If that was all you were doing you would have owned up a long time ago." Her lisp curled back in a silent snarl. "I don't want some…" her fingers clenched, digging into my desk. "…some bastard to come back for them and desecrate them further. They were murdered, that's bad enough, but the dead deserve their peace." I raised an eyebrow. "Murder? The official story is that they were killed by a wolf or dog, some large scale predator."

She shuddered. "Predator? Yes. But a dog or a wolf…nothing that would look like that." She gripped the edges of her chair, eyes unfocusing as she trembled. I straightened, snapping my fingers under her nose. She blinked, eyes coming back into focus. "Never mind…" she muttered, looking down. I nodded, shuffling her registration papers. "Well, a thorough doctor's exam for you and I'll have Seras show you around." I said, dismissing her. She nodded and walked out, wincing a little and limping slightly.

_Contra's POV:_

"Last tetanus shot?" the doctor asked, readying the dreaded needle. "Yesterday." I said, relieved. "…yesterday." She repeated flatly, putting a hand on her hips. I nodded. "They always give me one after I've been cut because they usually don't know what cut me." I explained as she rolled up my flimsy paper hospital gown so she could look at my legs. "I saw you limp slightly, why is that?" she asked, looking at my multiple colorful, fading, bruises. I pointed to a shiner on my ankle. "It hurts when I put too much weight on that." I clarified, leaning back as she inspected it. "Right then." She said, scribbling something down and motioning me to turn around. I turned, and she unbuttoned the gown, whistling at all the fading scars on my back.

"You going to say you fell down? That how you got all these?" she asked skeptically, shining a light on them. I turned, and shrugged. I rather liked the effect of so many little hair-thin white scars; they made my skin look like a cool spiderweb or something like that, a tattoo, kinda. "Some of them. I don't cut myself, if that's what you mean." I said, turning back around and looking at the wire-thin lines on my arms. She shrugged, placing a hand on my back as she measured my breathing. "I never said those words. I just hope your "accidents" came to an end." She said, taking her stethoscope off and taking my blood pressure after she fastened the buttons again. I hid a smirk. _Not even close._ She handed me some clothes, not the ones I came in. I shrugged, pulling them on and seeing the crest on my right shoulder. These were much warmer and thicker than my old clothes, so I didn't mind the change.

The vampiress, Seras Victoria, as she apparently was named, popped her head in. "Hey Contra! Ready to be shown around?" she asked brightly, and I shrugged silently, walking out and standing in front of her. She stared at me and I stared back, waiting for her to say something. She blinked, and then smiled again, quickly turning and walking away. "C'mon, we gotta show you everything!" she said cheerfully, and I scowled. Her "cute and innocent" act was really getting on my nerves. She showed me around the maze-like house, avoiding some areas that I could tell were most likely the military headquarters for the soldiers I saw at the front of the house. She talked non-stop, pausing every so often for me to answer, but I remained silent. "Hey, if anything, or anyone, is scaring you, I'm here to help." She said gently, grabbing my arm. "It can be scary moving around all the time." I scowled at her, yanking my arm away. "Are you done talking yet? You're giving me a headache." I said bluntly, and she flinched, looking hurt. "Um, well…" she said, shifting and edging away from me. "Here's your room!" she said quickly, pushing me towards it and running away, wiping her eyes. I smirked coldly and walked in, ignoring her sobs. _Annoying vamp._

_Integra's POV:_

"Well…she's certainly not very friendly, is she?" Walter asked, seeing Seras run away in tears from Contra's harsh comment. "Indeed. I think we can safely eliminate the idea someone is giving her outside help to escape, she seems to be repelled by other people being helpful." I said, lighting a cigar. "Yes…what is your theory on her activities every night? I saw the wounds as well…" he mused, looking thoughtful. I sighed. "It could be anything. I would have Alucard watch her, but-" I didn't even have to look up know he had phased in was leaning over me, grinning. "What is wrong with my surveillance abilities master?" he purred, looking offended. I glared at him. "She's mentally unstable enough as it is without all your antics. Frankly, I don't even want her seeing you in disguise." I said flatly, shuddering with the horror of that scenario.

He was about to push it further, but an alarm on my desk went off. I pressed it, hearing someone panting at the other end. "What is it?" I asked, alarmed. "The girl! She's gone, just like her file said!" the man wheezed, clearly winded. I blinked in shock, my eyes flicking to the window. It was barely past sunset…but still. "Send out search parties and double security. Alucard and Seras will have to handle tonight's mission on their own." I snapped, angry that she had slipped away from us without even a full 24 hours going by.

_3__rd__ Person's POV:_

"That's the last." A voice said softly, seeing the ghoul fade into a dusty heap on the concrete. A woman stood on a rooftop, blood dripping out from under her hood. She pushed it back, licking her fingers clean of blood and pressing it to the inch-long gash in her temple. They came away wet and sticky, and she sighed, wiping it carefully on the ground. A black owl landed on her shoulder, and she raised a hand that glimmered with four white, bony objects. It cawed happily and bent forward, crunching them up. "Fatal?" The woman asked, rubbing her temple. It hooted, and she frowned thinly. "Not again…" she whispered in disappointment, bowing her head and letting her fingers drift to the hilt of her sword. She turned, splashing through a sticky red puddle, ignoring the neat piles of dust that littered the rooftop, mixing with the wet stuff, creating a gory and macabre atmosphere.

She went inside the building, boots leaving a dark trail on the tiles. Blood spattered the walls and windows, with ghoul-dust making the air thick and stuffy. She stopped at a window, seeing moving shapes outside, but relaxed when it was revealed to be just more birds, although not the supernatural ones like Pitch. She reached the very last floor, the ground level, but paused when she heard voices. She drifted into the shadow of a pillar, listening hard. "But master, who could have done all this?" Her eyes widened slightly in recognition, but she remained silent. "Who knows? Perhaps the Judas Priest is here again…" a second voice, one that made her heart accelerate._ But that one…I killed him!_ "Oh?" the second voice said, and the footsteps stopped. "Police Girl, there seems to be a survivor."

She licked her lips nervously, slipping away into the darkened hallway. "What? Where?" the first voice said, and the second voice chuckled darkly. "She seems to be a shy one. Very well, Police Girl! We're playing hide and seek." It said, and the woman ran faster. She came out into a ballroom full of huge glass windows, and quickly darted towards them, hiding in the shadows whenever possible. A chuckle stopped her, and she cautiously turned to see the second vampire standing a few dozen feet away from her, smirking. His grin widened as she turned. "I thought it might be you. But this is two hunts of mine you've spoiled, and I must take compensation." He purred, pulling out his huge silver gun. She hissed at him wordlessly, and surprisingly jumped out the window, crashing into the glass and shattering it as she dropped, landing on the ground with a jarring thump.

She shook her head numbly and staggered upright, streaking off. There was an echoing screech, and a black shape dropped out of the sky, enveloping her and bending out of existence. When it finally disappeared, she was gone as well. Alucard frowned thinly, annoyed she got away. Then he looked down, studying the glass shards that littered the ground. Many were tinged with red, and a few were drenched in it. She had hurt herself badly, but shook it off much quicker than a normal human. His grin returned. _Well, well, so you slipped away again little huntress. No more. As they say, third time's the charm._

_Contra's POV:_

I pulled another sharp of glass out of my shoulder, not even flinching. Pitch had sewn up the few that needed sewing up, and the gash on my temple was now just a thin, barely closed scar. My mind was racing. Why was the vampire still alive? I had literally sliced through every part of him, heart and head and all. How the hell was he still alive? And that Seras, she called him master? She was one of the ones he infected with vampirism…so he must be at my new home somewhere. I gritted my teeth. I would have to be very, very careful he didn't notice I was there as well.

_Integra's POV:_

Contra sat in front of me, hair neatly confined in a ponytail Walter had insisted she wear. That was the only neat thing. There was a long, clean cut above one brow, and her eye had bruise-colored skin under them, attesting to her exhaustion. There was a large bruise on one cheekbone, and she had a split lip. Her collar was torn open, giving me a glimpse of a bruised and cut neck as well. Her clothes, new yesterday, had cuts in them and some were stained with blood. Her sleeves were short so I had a full view of the recent scratches and deep slices dotting her arms, and a recent looking one with stitches. Despite all that, she looked calm and confident, like she was not in any pain at all. "I honestly thought your doctors were exaggerating, but now I see they were not." I said, trying to make my voice vibrate with anger.

She nodded once. "Do you have an explanation?" I snarled, fingers tapping the desk hard. She shook her head. "Talk to me damnit!" I shouted, slamming my fingers down on the desk. She twitched slightly, like I had startled her. That was good. She needed to be startled. "I repeat all my previous statements. I was neither doing anything illegal nor dangerous. It was simply a freak accident." She said softly, voice still harsh, like she didn't use it often. I sighed in exasperation. "Contra, with all due respect, what on earth makes you think I will believe you?" she shrugged. "I don't expect you to Sir Integra." She said politely. "But I have found out the more I tell people about what I do, the more they try to get in my way. I don't hurt anyone, and you don't get hurt by not knowing." I rubbed my forehead. "Contra, this is serious. You have these "accidents" far too often for my peace of mind."

She nodded sheepishly, fidgeting. "Here. I suppose I might as well get your side in all this." I said, shoving some of the necrophiliac assessment papers Walter had printed off at her along with a pen. She took them, standing up and leaving without a sound. I sighed, lighting a cigar. Already her passive silence and refusal to tell me what was going on was grating on my nerves. Alucard phased in, grinning. "So when will I get to meet this child?" he said eagerly, tapping his fingers on the desk. "When I find out what's going on." I informed him tartly, and his smirk lessened. "You said the targets were already all eliminated?" he sighed in annoyance and nodded. "Yes. When we got there all the ghouls and freaks had been killed, and there was a huntress. She got away, but I recognized her as the same one that "killed" me on my last mission." I blinked. "A new Iscariot operative maybe? Trying to undermine us?"

He shook his head. "She never said anything prayerful, and besides, it seemed more like coincidences to me. Also, she is incredibly reckless, probably very new at it. When I fired on her she didn't even flinch away." I winced. "Do you think we'll run into her again?" His teeth flashed in a predatory grin. "I certainly hope so." I sighed. "Well, on to the next issue. About Contra-" His head whipped around, and he seemed to stare at the door intently. There was a hurried knock, and I gritted my teeth. "Leave." He smirked and phased away, and Contra nudged the door open, holding the sheets out to me. I sighed and took them, and she stepped back, but didn't leave. "You may go." I told her, looking up briefly before returning to the paperwork. "I was spying on you. Aren't you going to punish me for eavesdropping?" she said bluntly, tapping a foot.

I blinked, looking up. She was looking at me expectantly, not moving. "I don't have time for that and don't believe in hitting people." I said impatiently, shooing her away with one hand. She shrugged and walked out, closing the door behind her. Alucard phased back in, grinning. "Isn't she a direct little thing." He chuckled, looking at the door speculatively. "No." I said firmly, giving him a warning look. He scowled and I looked down at the piece of paper, reading it over. My eyebrow inched higher with every line.

_**Name:**__ Contra_

_**Age:**__ 16_

_**When were you diagnosed with necrophilia?**_

_After I broke into a funeral parlor and seven graveyards, all different._

_**What was your reaction?**_

_That the diagnosis was mistaken._

_**Do you see things you think/know are dead?**_

_Yes._

_**How often?**_

_Every night, except when I have breaks._

_**Describe them.**_

_It varies every time. Most are male and very aggressive. The females are just as aggressive, but they swear a lot more and run if they are spooked by something. Very few children, most are young adults._

_**Why do you think they're dead?**_

_Because they are. They don't have a heartbeat and they don't breath. Dead._

_**Do you have strange visions?**_

_Not really._

_**If so, describe them.**_

_Well, I see Pitch a lot. But he's not really a vision._

_**Do you like it when you see something dead?**_

_**NO.**__ That's disgusting._

_**If someone told you they were dead, what would you do?**_

_Check and then make sure they are __**properly**__ dead, instead of walking around._

_**Do you want to be dead?**_

_Yes._

_**Why?**_

_Because I have nothing worth living for. As I see it, there is nothing worth staying alive for me, so why should I live uselessly? What point does it serve? However, ending my life by suicide is degrading and stupid. My personal method works much better._

"Well she certainly isn't someone I want near _you_." I said, putting it down and rubbing my aching eyes. He grabbed it and read it over, scowling. "Weak-minded human. Suicide is for the lowest of the low." he muttered, shoving it back at me. I raised an eyebrow. "Does it or does it not say here that she does NOT wish to end her life in that manner?" I asked tartly, waving the paper back and forth slightly in demonstration. He scowled, shrugging. "To even stoop so low as to consider it is a pathetic act of weakness." He growled, phasing away.

_Contra's POV:_

I pulled my shirt over my head, feeling my open wounds sting slightly. I didn't care. I faced my muscled torso in the mirror, studying myself. Scars, fading, fresh, ancient, recent, closed, open, criss-crossed me like an impossibly intricate tattoo, all red and pink and white. Bruises added to the effect, yellow, blue, black, green, all combining until my body looked like a gaudy painting. My silvery hair draped over my shoulders, hanging almost down to my hips. My face was bruised and cut, hazel eyes unflinching and just a little unhinged. I made a face. My sanity and apparently vanity were closely linked, because all I could muster was a slight feeling of wistfulness. No man would "go out" with a scarred monstrosity like myself, sane or otherwise. Another cover I couldn't use. I stripped my pants and underwear off, stepping into the porcelain bathtub and letting the hot water sooth my pounding head. My wounds twinged and ached, pain seeping into my body again as the water burned my open, tender skin.

I didn't flinch, waiting for something to happen, for me to get clean or the headache to stop. The throbbing ache slowly disappeared and I stepped out, roughly toweling myself off and walking back out. My clothes were being put on my bed by Walter; I believe the old man's name was. He turned, obviously hearing me, and blinked, averting his gaze. "Um, mam, I suggest you..." he coughed, flushing slightly and making the barest hint of a gesture to my nude body. "...cover yourself." I stared at him coldly for a moment and walked over; ignoring him as he hurriedly stepped away, yanking on my clothes with indifference. He waited until I was "decent" and strode forward, tucking my clothes in neater and pinning up my hair in that accursed ponytail. I glowered at him, waiting until the silence stretched on and on before he coughed and left, the back of his neck distinctly red. I smirked to myself, picking up a book off a shelf and absently reading, itching to go out and kill more vampires. But Pitch and I agreed, no work until sundown. So I had HOURS to wait.

_Integra's POV:_  
Walter stood by my side, and when I glanced up at him he seemed nervous. "What on earth has gotten into you?" I asked sharply, and he cleared his throat. "Well madam, it is not exactly proper...young Mrs. Contra seems to have no sense of modesty or decency." he said rapidly, the back of his neck a bit flushed. "Oh? Is this going where I think it is?" Alucard purred, leaning against the wall and grinning in delight. Walter coughed again. "You see, I was laying out her clothes for her and she came in. With nothing on." he said gratingly, eyes squeezed shut. I winced and Alucard chuckled darkly. "So you decided to have some fun? Is she tight? How does her-" he eagerly asked, but Walter hurriedly cut him off.

"I asked her to put something on, but she ignored me and put the clothes I had been laying out. I promptly left." he said, flushing as Alucard pouted in disappointment. "I'm beginning to see her problem. That girl does not know how to behave around other people. It's almost like she's spoiled, except she's just is incredibly rude and not very understanding of...propriety." I said musingly, and Walter and Alucard nodded grudgingly. "Can I at least watch her with a familiar or something?" Alucard whined, looking grumpy. I opened my mouth to tell him no, but closed it again. That actually wasn't a bad idea. "She is not to even catch a GLIMPSE of it, you understand?" I barked, and he nodded absently, disappearing through the floor.

_Contra's POV:_

A silver gleam flashed in the darkness, splitting the air, and a red liquid spurted up into the night. My breath came slower, my muscles relaxing as I slumped to the ground, a beautiful silver blade sticking out from my heart, sending my blood spilling out upon the ground. I giggled a little, smiling in bliss as my breathing became labored, each gasp harder than the last, each heartbeat slower and weaker. "Finally..." I whispered into the cold night air, blood trickling out of my mouth. My vision dimmed, everything going hazy and dark. I was dead, after so much pain and so many years. What bliss. My eyes shot open and I sat up on the floor, stretching and yawning. My vision adjusted, and I remembered I was in Sir Hellsing's dungeon cell, although she insisted it was a basement. "Hmph. I wanna go now..." I whined, slouching over to the cell door and peering out through the bars. Sunset was still a few hours away. I frowned, but the reappearance of my favorite dream soothed me and I refrained from any mental profanities.

"Mrs. Contra, your supper. Also I am here to keep you company." Walter said, shoving a tray of food through the bars. I picked it up, sniffing the sandwich cautiously and nibbling an edge. It seemed safe enough. He raised an eyebrow as I gingerly sipped some of the milk, making sure that wasn't spiked with something either. "I see you don't trust us very much. The food is perfectly safe, I promise you." He said soothingly, and I stared silently at him, then looked back down to resume my testing. Promises and oaths were just words after all, and I NEVER trusted anyone. Not even Pitch. ESPECIALLY not Pitch. I determined the meal was safe enough and ate in silence, finishing quickly and shoving the plate back through the slot. I fell into another light doze, waiting impatiently for Pitch to come and bend me away. I knew it when sunset came, something in the air shifted, like a vast power being uncloaked, and I shivered. Something vamperic was down here. Something strong. Something old. Something evil. Walter glanced at me sharply, and I looked away guiltily, seeing Pitch form above him hurriedly. He had felt the power too. A black, bird-like shape dropped down from the ceiling, and Walter's head fell forward, starting to snore. I jumped up eagerly, letting him surround me as reality started to bend and twist around me.

_Integra's POV:_

Alucard phased through the floor, grinning so widely I could see each and every fang. "Master, I have just found something FASCINATING..." he crooned, leaning over my desk. "What?" I snapped, glaring at him. "That little girl has a demon hanging around her. That's how she escapes every night." he purred, clearly gloating in his knowledge. I stared at him for a moment. "A...demon. So she has a vampire?" He frowned and shook his head. "Vampires are demons in the metaphorical sense only. A true demon is a different class altogether, a spirit-creature that an influence the material world. They are inherently "evil", and usually make deals with humans that suit their whim or needs. I recognized the dark power radiating from her cell immediately. She has made a deal with a demon." I sat back, considering this new development. "I'll have a talk with her when she comes back, from wherever she's got to now."

_3rd Person's POV:_

A cough was heard, echoing through the dusty, vaulted room. A silvery-haired female hacked, spitting out a mouthful of blood on the sticky red ground, dragging herself to her knees. She staggered upright, using a blood-spattered church pew as leverage. Blood was seeping through a wound in her side, and her entire body was cut and bruised. She held a hand to the tear in her clothing, whimpering a little as it twinged. Her hand was rapidly becoming dark with her blood as she hobbled past the altar, blood trailing in her wake, glancing in all directions absently. An eerie cry was heard, and a dark shape landed on a pillar to her right. She stopped, leaning heavily on a convenient pew. "Pitch...no..." she whispered, making a faint shooing gesture with her free hand. He cawed derisively and hopped forward. Her eyes burned as she lifted her head, staring him down. "Pitch...no." she said firmly, breathing heavily. He mantled, hissing at her. "I have not broken the deal. This wound..." she hacked again, spitting a sticky red liquid onto the ground. "...this injury..." she slid down, kneeling as her battered body refused to stand as she wished it to. "...you WILL not touch this one..." she wheezed faintly, eyes closing as she sagged, wet, red hand falling away from the wound in her side.

He chirped in disappointment, hopping forward and landing on her hand. He preened her hair, thinking to himself. He had a very good arrangement with this human. She had kept to the deal excellently. Vampire teeth were not easy to come by, after all, and this reckless girl provided for him almost every night. But...he would be breaking the deal if he tried to heal that wound that was and would kill her. He shreed in frustration, hopping away from her and flapping his wings at her unconscious form in frustration. There was a chuckle and he immediately vanished, recognizing the power that surged through the now-abandoned church. "I told you, little huntress, you would not ruin another of my hunts. It seems you are stubborn human who refuses to listen to her elders." A vampire in a red duster purred, footsteps echoing through the silent church. He paused at her still form, cocking his head. She was so young. So...appetizing.

A shadow slid under her body, propping up her unconscious form and pulling her up to the vampire. He took off his glasses, grinning in anticipation. He slid his arms around her, nuzzling her pale neck. "Little huntress, you are going to be punished now." he crooned, hands rubbing her back as he nibbled her skin. Sadly, she remained unconscious, no struggling, no wails of pain, no EMOTION as he bit into her neck, greedily sucking her warm blood out of her dying body. After a few moments, he had to stop or she would very quickly die. "Let's get you some help so I can drink and savor you fully." he cooed to her, shifting her so he was carrying her bridal style in his arms and striding out of the church smugly. His latest toy should turn out to be much more fun than Seras.

_Contra's POV:_

I opened my eyes, seeing a bright white light. Nothing else, just white. "So this is what death feels like?" I asked the air, and surprisingly got an answer. "No dear, we found you and brought you in." I snapped upright, staring at the doctor who had looked at me before. My mind raced. Pitch! Wait...he had moved away. I remembered that. He had perched on me then bent away. Then who... My blood ran cold. Shakingly, ignoring the squawking nurse, I reached up, encountering bandages. I pushed under them, feeling the kind of wound I had burned into my memory forever etched in my skin. My hand fell limply into my lap, and I stared at the far wall. _No...no...no..._ I snatched a dagger and stabbed it into my arm, knowing it was blessed silver. No crumbling, no searing pain. I wrenched it out as the woman started frantically pushing buttons and wailing for assistance. My heart rate calmed, my body relaxing now that I knew I was still human. Integra burst in the door, and I winced. These people knew everything now. There was no way they couldn't. "Mrs. Contra control yourself!" she barked, seeing the bloody knife and stab mark. I scowled at her silently. "Explain. We found you in a church, covered in blood, with vampire fangs in your pocket. Start talking." she snapped, and I growled. "What do you THINK I was doing?" I spat, clenching my fists.

"And give me those fangs back, I need them." I added as an afterthought, since Pitch still hadn't broken our bargain. She sighed. "We aren't going to get anywhere like this. Alright, we'll start at the beginning. You MAY pass for a question, but I will only allow you to do it three times." I nodded cautiously. "Why did you make a deal with a demon?" I blinked. "Who?" she frowned. "Don't play coy. Whatever frees you every night is a demon." I raised my eyebrows. "He never told me..." I muttered under my breath. "He was able to break me out. We decided to be partners." I said firmly, wincing as my stomach wound throbbed. "Right...what are the conditions of your deal?" I sighed. "He breaks me out every night, fixes me up when I get nonfatal-wounds, transports me to get what I need, and I give him vampire teeth." She raised an eyebrow. "Vampire teeth." I shrugged defensively. "Yeah, vampire fangs. I don't know why he likes them..." I muttered, and she moved onto the next question. "Why do you hunt vampires?" I clenched my teeth. "Pass." I said firmly. "Did you "kill" a red-cloaked vampire two nights ago?" I nodded. "Did you see him again the next night in Blackpool?" I blinked at her. "No idea. When Pitch bends me I just know that there's vampires nearby." I admitted, and she nodded. "Fair enough, but you did see him?" I nodded grudgingly.

"How would you like to be part of a vampire hunting organization? I won't pay you much, but you get free room and board." she said suddenly, and I twitched. "Erm...no." I said apologetically, and she stared at me. "Why?" she asked after a moment and I coughed, my rage rising. "We'll just say it's the other employees. Like, THE ONE WHO BIT ME AND SAVED MY LIFE!" She raised an eyebrow, smirking a little. "You object to being saved?" I glared at her. "What kind of question is that? WHY DO YOU THINK I DO THIS BLOODY THING EVERY NIGHT!?" I screeched, and she winced. "Calm down. Also, language." I snarled at her, feeling more incensed by the second. "Plain, good old fashioned English. I finally, FINALLY almost kill myself and this creep comes in and not only bites me, has the almighty gall to freaking SAVE me!" I hissed, my fingernails digging into the blanket I was covered by. She sighed. "Alright, alright, just...don't become so violent. How about this, I let my soldiers take you on a mission tonight, and you see if you want to join in. Your other option is I bless this ward so thoroughly no demon will get through in a hundred years and we keep you in solitary." she said smugly, and I stared at her wordlessly. "Fine. Fine! I'll call Pitch and let him know as soon as the sun sets." I growled, swinging my legs off of the bed and staggering off to find some clothes.


	5. Gekido

_**And here we go, yet ANOTHER plotbunny…**_

_Gekido's POV:_

"My name is Gekido, I'm 4 years old next month, and my favorite color is black." I muttered, staring at the ground instead of meeting my classmates' eyes. "Good job Gekido. Return to your seat." The teacher said warmly and I meekly obeyed, sitting and casually hooking the chair back from the boy behind me, who was trying to pull it out. The other children did the same, and I simply waited for it all to be over. That's what I did every day. Well, except for when I got in another fight. _It's okay Geki! _Margo chirped, giving me the thumbs up as I raised an eyebrow at her. _Shut up Margo. We can't talk to her when other people are around, remember?_ Iris snapped, elbowing her. They started to argue, and I sank my head on the desk, wearily listening as my friends telepathically argued around me, trying to block them out and listen to the real world. _GUYS SHUT UP!_ Arthur roared, stamping his foot as they all quieted. Arthur was always quiet, but when he said something, we listened. _Gekido doesn't need us shouting in her ears. She's in class, which means she has to pay attention to the teacher. So let's all shut up and let her listen._ He snapped, and they quieted, letting me listen to the teacher uninterrupted.

"Hey _freak_, listening to your friends again?" a paper airplane hit the back of my head, and Sasha and Milady had to hold Iris back from attacking the thrower. _ You call my Geki a freak again and I'll rip your fingernails out!_ She shouted at him, struggling violently as Tom and Margo joined in, holding her down as Claude huddled behind Arthur, peeking around the older male's body. I ignored them all, including the real-life speaker and thrower. A pencil hit the back of my head. "Yo, _freak, _I'm talking to you!" Iris paused in her struggles, staring venomously at the little boy as the others glared at him as well. "Be quiet please. The teacher is talking." I said softly over my shoulder, and he snorted. "Why, are your imaginary friends gone all of a sudden? Figures." He muttered, and I winced. With that last edition, he had been doomed to a day full of stumbles, lost items, and minor inconveniences. Sometimes Iris and the others could be quite vindictive in their revenges.

_Integra's POV:  
_

"Ahhhh…." I growled, rubbing my forehead in agitation. It seemed poltergeists had been plaguing a school nearby, and with a Round Table child in there, it was of course the _utmost_ priority to get them out. _Bloody idiots. _Walter stepped in, and I looked up as he poured me a cup of tea. "I took the liberty of going through the school records for something suspicious mam. It seems the child…Gekido, I believe, has been having strange visions. Perhaps we could invite her to Hellsing for a little "check-up"? Shouldn't take too long…" he murmured, picking up the tea tray as I drank deeply, feeling my frazzled nerves being soothed a little. "Right, right…" I yawned, sleep dragging me down. "I'll schedule an appointment tomorrow." He said, closing the door behind him as I staggered to my feet, dragging them to my bedroom nearby.

_***Time Skip***_

I walked in, straight backed and imposing as I entered the sitting room. A pale, scrawny child was sitting on the couch, huddled at one end like something had attacked her. "Alucard is still asleep, isn't he?" I asked Walter, who nodded in puzzlement. "You can move to the middle of the couch. I'm sure it isn't comfortable all the way down at the end like that." I said, trying to be motherly and probably failing utterly. She blinked a few times, then looked down the empty couch. "I…guess." She muttered uncertainly, scooting over a little, moving oddly slowly and pausing, as if working her way through several other people. I caught a whispered "Sorry, sorry, move a little to the left, sorry…" and raised my eyebrows. Already she was displaying some…schizophrenic…tendencies. She finally made it to the middle and sat down, hunching into herself like she needed to pack herself into a large amount of people on the couch.

"I've been told you talk to imaginary friends and they answer back." I said, and she blanched. I felt a cold breath of air, almost a whisper at my back, and she shouted "IRIS NO!", reaching out and then pausing, looking embarrassed. I sighed, shaking my head. "You may speak." I said wearily, and she ducked her head. "If you follow through with that I won't talk to you for a month." She snapped, folding her arms and glaring at the air an inch to my left. There was another miniscule whisper of air, and she relaxed. I turned to sit down on the other couch, and she flinched again. "Wait! Um, mam, some of my friends are over there too…" she mumbled the last bit as I gave her a sharp glance. "Just how many of these…friends…do you have?" Walter asked after an awkward silence. She stood, heaving a visible sigh of relief and standing in the center of the room. "Gimme a sec." she tossed over her shoulder, and then called firmly "Head count!" There was dead silence, but her head tracked movement, turning around the room slowly and stopping at her previous position.

"We're all here, so counting me there are thirteen of us sir." She said firmly, facing me as my jaw dropped slightly. "Can…can you actually name them all?" I asked doubtfully, and she nodded. Walking over to the couch, she pointed at the end. "Margo." She moved her hand slightly, obviously to another "person". My jaw dropped as she moved without hesitation. "Arthur. Milady. Sasha. Claude. Tom. Zimba." She turned to the couch I was sitting on and stepped closer, continuing her smooth narrative. "Iris. Twin and Twin. Calico. Meg." She finished, stepping back slightly. "They all say hi." She added as an afterthought, then her eyes went fuzzy, and she winced, putting a hand to her ears. "Guys what's-" she started, but suddenly Alucard strode through the wall, and her eyes widened, growing huge. There were several breaths of air beside me, and Gekido stumbled slightly, as if someone had rushed past her.

_Gekido's POV:_

The others, all except for Tom, Iris, Meg, and Calico breezed past me, huddling behind my back as the huge man in red advanced, creepy vermillion eyes flashing. "Master, there are people here." He said in a deep, menacing rumble, and Tom hissed, bringing his gun up as Calico drew her katana and Iris and Meg raised their fists. "Guys no!" I said, glaring at them as they didn't stand down, guarding me from the approaching threat. He walked close, until if he had been shorter or the others had been taller they would have been nose to nose. Those creepy, cat-slitted eyes swept the group behind me, and a predatory grin was revealed, sharp teeth flashing. "Quite a lot of them." He added, smirking down at me. "Leave them alone!" I shouted, pushing past Tom and the others as they blinked and reached for me. I shook them off, glaring them away and stared up at the intimidating person.

"They aren't hurting you! Leave them alone!" I shouted, balling my fists. His grin only widened, and something in that grin made me want to get back behind Tom and Calico. But my resolve firmed. "Stop scaring them! You're nothing more than a bully!" I screamed in blind fury, kicking his shin as those flaring red eyes widened. A low growl was heard, and Calico grabbed my arm, yanking me behind her as I yelped, landing on my rear. The strict-looking woman, her butler, and the mean red man all gaped slightly as I rubbed my wrist, then my butt, grumbling to myself. He seemed to recover first, reaching for me, but Calico's sword flashed across his throat, nicking the skin slightly as a thin trickle of blood welled up. He stopped once more, and she growled "Try and touch her and I ram my sword down your gullet." I licked my lips, translating with a blush as the woman recovered as well and gave me a doubtful look. "Gekido, please ask your guardian to stand down. We won't hurt you." She said softly, and I stood, grabbing Calico's sleeve and yanking her backward. She death-glared the man, and Iris and Meg stood behind me as well. Tom didn't move, old-fashioned musket trained on the scary person. I cleared my throat slightly, and his angry hazel eyes flicked to me.

I motioned behind me, and he looked back at the man. "Tom…" I growled, and he reluctantly took two steps back, now behind me. "Now then, let's try to put this to something I can comprehend. Gekido, you can see and hear these people?" she asked, and I nodded. "And touch and feel and smell." I clarified. Her eyebrows flicked upwards, then back down. "I see. Can they do the same with you?" I nodded silently, slightly embarrassed. "They all have separate personalities?" I nodded rapidly, wincing as another headache started up. "_Very_ different ones mam." I said fervently, glaring at my friends, who all snickered. She sighed, and then stood up. "We'll do this professionally. Have your friends fill out one of these each and I'll interview them one by one." She said, giving me twelve official-looking papers. I grabbed a pen and sat down, the others clamoring to fill theirs out first.

_Integra's POV:_

Gekido came in, handing me some slightly crumpled sheets and sitting down on the floor as the actual chair remained empty. I raised my eyebrows, but before I could comment she quickly said "They're the ones getting interviewed, I just need to translate. You can't hear them, nobody can. We've tried." She said sadly, and I nodded in understanding, looking down. "I just bunched them all together so you could decide who you want to interview first." She said softly, and I nodded, looking up for a moment before returning my gaze to the sheet. It was a fairly standard application form, and it was written rather neatly in black pen. "And I wrote it all down for them because they can't move the pen." She added rather suddenly, and I nodded absently.

_Name:_ Iris

_Age: _13

_Gender:_ Female

_Height:_ 4'5

_Describe:_

I was born in 1928 and died in 1941 in a German Nazi camp. They killed me by firing squad because I wouldn't back down when they ordered me to. My family were Jews and all died before me, but I still carry on with the holiday traditions, and Geki (me) helps out occasionally. I don't like it when someone disses her for being a freak because she responds when we talk to her in class, and usually take revenge. My favorite season is summer because I was killed in winter, and my favorite color is green because I saw it so few times during the last few years of my life. I can play the clarinet and taught Geki a few months ago. She mastered it enough so she knows which note from which, which I consider to be the best thing ever.

_Weapon Mastery:_

Street fighting. I can play rough and dirty, and will use any and every means necessary to win. Punch, hit, kick, bite, scratch, and occasionally pinch, but I'll admit my moves are wild and need some coordination. But I could probably lay your average Joe out if given a lucky shot.

_Name:_ Margo

_Age:_ 12

_Gender:_ Female

_Height:_ 4'9

_Describe: _

I was born in America in the 'Roaring 90s. I was a homeless girl who was usually rather well taken care of because I was lucky, but once the Great Depression hit I was thrown out on the actual street and died of exposure in 1935. But I still try to see the beauty and kindness in everything, and cheer Geki up when she's sad. I can play lots and lots of games, and my favorite color is russet red.

_Weapons Mastery:_

I can't fight to save my life. Tom and Calico are enough to protect all of us at once though!

_Name:_ Arthur

_Age:_ 11

_Gender:_ Male

_Height:_ 4'0

_Describe: _

I was born in England in the Year of Our Lord 1823. I was a very studious and quiet boy by nature, but my father quite often said I was brilliant and I soon was inducted into Oxford for a training course. I died from a freak accident involving the newly invented train that ran through our town. I can ride a horse, train a hound, and teach Gekido much about the fine arts and other such subtleties. As of now, I have taught her fine calligraphy, speech improvement, and how to read. Right now I am working on how to get around her not having a horse so she can learn how to ride.

_Weapons Mastery:_

I can fire a flintlock pistol, but do to being in a non-corporeal form for much of the last few centuries I cannot fire anything else. I was adequate at fencing, but Calico can teach Gekido much better than I can in that field, and Tom is a much better shot, although his gun is even more outdated than mine.

_Name:_ Milady

_Age:_ 7

_Gender:_ Female

_Height:_ 3'11

_Describe: _

My name's Milady and if you mock it I will strangle you with your own tie. I may be only seven years old but I can pack a punch if I want to. My family told me I was noisy and spoiled and I don't care. I don't need them anymore anyway. I was born in 1872 and died in 1879. I died because my maid poisoned my whole family out of jealously and because she was a mean old witch. Whenever I think of her I want to- (Milady kinda went off on a rant here, so I skipped over it a little) –anyway, back to the subject at hand. I basically am good company, because my parents didn't want me and sent me off to as many tutors as possible. I taught Geki the piano notes, flute, and xylophone. She's good, obviously because I taught her and I'm the best teacher there is.

_Weapons Mastery:_

Are you kidding? Do I look like I can fight? I can jump the bastards that are annoying Geki and scratch their eyes out, but other than that I'm stuck hiding behind her with the others.

_Name:_ Sasha

_Age:_ 12

_Gender:_ Female

_Height:_ 4'2

_Describe: _

I was born in Ukraine in 1558. I died in 1570 due to a miscarriage caused by my violation at the hands on a band of thieves that my family hunted down shortly after I was nubile. Because of this I am shy and soft-spoken, but I try to be there for Gekido and the others when they're down. My uses are a little bit of kitchen skills as well as a slight knowledge of herbs, although few are native to this area. My favorite color is lavender and I love to knit, although I can't really give Gekido any of my scarves. The others say they're appreciated in the wintertime though.

_Weapons Mastery:_

I do know some poisonous plants and how to administer them to _treat_ a patient (in small amounts obviously), but I don't know how to drug a person into fatality, except to overdose and hope it does the trick. Otherwise I would have put up more of a fight when…you know… (She started crying so we all had to calm her down before I could write down some more on the others)

_Name:_ Claude

_Age:_ 5

_Gender:_ Male

_Height:_ 3'6

_Describe: _

My name's Claude and I am 5 years old. I am a little shy sometimes and hide behind Arthur when the others argue because he always tries to get them to calm down and defends me if they start hitting. (It was once, and that never happened again) My favorite color is brown because it was the color of the river I played in when I was alive, and I love to play in water. I taught Geki how to swim! I don't know when I was born because my parents never told me. We lived on the coast though, right by a river, and I used to play in it all day. They were always away fishing, and once I slipped and fell and I think I died because when I tried to talk to them after that they didn't notice and mommy was always so sad and yelled at daddy because they didn't take care of me right and didn't look after me.

_Weapons Mastery:_

You shouldn't play with those, they might hurt. I can make nets though, and once someone stopped by and showed me how I could maybe even catch a human in them if I set them right and used the right thread! But I died before I could try.

_Name:_ Twin & Twin

_Age:_ 9 & 9

_Gender:_ Male and Male

_Height:_ 4'3 and 4'3

_Describe: _

The twins are identical, and I think sometimes even they can't tell each other apart. We just call them Twin and point, and somehow it all works out every time. They lived sometime in the 1900's, but they aren't sure when. They don't really do anything but be in synch, which is a little creepy sometimes. But they do seem to know a lot about camouflage and deception, and they often trick us by "vanishing" and reappearing in a different place.

_Weapons Mastery:_

I don't think anybody could catch Twin when they're being sneaky. But I've never seen them fight or try and they haven't said anything about it.

_Name:_ Calico

_Age:_ 19

_Gender:_ Female

_Height:_ 5'7

_Describe: _

My name is Calico. I lived in Japan in the years of 1500, and was trained as a monk in the arts of warfare. I am a skilled strategist, as well as a formidable swordswoman, and protect Gekido and our little "family" with my life. I am the oldest besides Tom, and we often take charge when it becomes too much for Gekido. She is only a child after all, and having this many conflicting personalities that only she can hear and feel would be taxing for anyone. Forgive me for threatening your hit man, but he was menacing our friends and frightening Gekido. I could not contain myself, and beg your hospitality for that mistake. I have taught Gekido my native language, both written and spoken, and she is currently in the middle of martial arts and sword training. I was killed by a fire in my monastery with the other monks, and I have since determined it to be truly accidental. A sad tragedy, but one I have come to "live" with.

_Weapons Mastery:_

Obviously, it is lengthy. I know all manner of bladework, as well as meditation, mantras, and martial arts of many and varying types. Gekido is advancing in her studies at strategy and reading other people, and I have tried to teach her a few passes, but she is sadly still a bit young for a sword of any type, even the naturally lighter one of my homeland. Meanwhile, she exceeds in martial arts, and I think I have progressed her nicely as far as the modern belt system goes. But her skills must be seen by a modern teacher for her competence in the art to be assessed.

_Name:_ Tom

_Age:_ 21

_Gender:_ Male

_Height:_ 5'9

_Describe: _

I was born in the Revolutionary days of America, when we were breaking away from the British colonies. As you may guess, I am not happy to be so far from my home soil, but the improved attitude of the British has softened my dislike considerably. I died in a suicide mission for the Rebels, and I am quite proud of that. I'm the oldest of Gekido's little rag-tag gang, and correspondingly am often the one who has to restore order. I consider myself to be the guardian of each and every person Gekido cares for, and I will not hesitate to shoot if I feel them threatened. I don't know much, being the son of a farmer, but I can shoot a gun with deadly accuracy and have a musket –I believe the modern term is rifle- with me at the current moment in time.

_Weapons Mastery:_

Again, I am an excellent and rapid sharpshooter. The only reason I died during the suicide mission because I was required to blow up large amounts of gunpowder on a British ammo ship. I have taught Gekido a proper appreciation for my country and food. Other than that, I really just look after this freakish mob.

_Name:_ Zimba

_Age:_ 14

_Gender:_ Male

_Height:_ 4'3

_Describe: _

Zimba's a mute. He uses sign language to talk, and he lived in Ancient Egypt, whenever that was. He died because he got pulled down and eaten by a crocodile on the Nile River. He was learning how to be a fisherman, but he learned how to sew and dance over the years as he was…dead I guess. He taught me a few dances, as well as sign language, obviously, so I could understand him. He makes me costumes sometimes, and I have them in a trunk at my house. They're so pretty!

_Weapons Mastery:_

He really doesn't use weapons. He fished using a spear I suppose, but other than that I don't think he knows how to fight. Besides, there's a world of difference between using a spear on a fish to a person who may or may not be expecting it.

_Name:_ Meg

_Age:_ 12

_Gender:_ Female

_Height:_ 4'6

_Describe: _

I'm a saucy Irish wench, so men beware! Hehe, sorry about that. My name's Meg (as you can see above) and I'm just a cheerful, happy sort of person! But watch out if you make me mad, I've got the Irish temper under all this flounce! I love taking care of Geki, she's like a little sister to me. If someone's messing with her, you can count on me to be right behind her, fists up and ready. I was born and died during The Troubles, which obviously is enough to say. And before you ask, I'm an atheist! Which is kinda the reason I died…never mind. You know the history, you get the idea. Anyway, I loved running wild in the meadows and picking flowers, and you can't beat me when it comes to making flower chains!

_Weapons Mastery:_

Well, everyone learned to rough-and-tumble where I lived! It was kinda protection, if you know what I mean. (And you obviously do) But I don't really know more than street-style, although I've been picking up kickboxing from Calico. So much fun!

_Name:_ Gekido

_Age:_ 4

_Gender:_ Female

_Height:_ 3'5

_Describe: _

I used Twins' sheet since they can be counted as the same person, pretty much. I listen to all these people every day, and they can't seem to go more than a couple hundred feet away. I know how to read and write English, Egyptian, Japanese, German, Ukrainian, and Latin. I can speak sign language, and play the piano, clarinet, flute, and xylophone. I can speak Japanese, German, and Ukrainian, and a smidgen of Latin. I can swim too, but I don't know how to ride a horse quite yet. Arthur and Zimba taught me how to dance, and everyone says I'm okay at it.

_Weapons Mastery:_

I can shoot a gun if walked through that particular gun's layout. I have okay accuracy but not very good because I have no practice, my parents won't let me do it at home. Also the recoil hurts my hands, and the others say it won't go away until I grow. Calico taught me martial arts, and she says I'm good. Arthur taught me the rules of fencing, but I can't lift the blades yet, and I can't even use the one Calico uses, the…katana. (She helped me spell it in English) but I can use the small knives, and she's teaching me how to use those. Iris and Meg are teaching me how to street-fight, and its fun!

"Why do you think these people can only interact with you?" I asked suddenly, finishing as she started and then blinked. "I don't know mam." She admitted softly, and my eyes narrowed. "Walter." He came in and ushered Gekido out, and then we both pondered this problem as he read through the sheets. "Though at this point it seems laughably pointless, may I point out that this could all just be a highly detailed delusion on her part?" he asked and I sighed, kneading my forehead as a migraine crept in. "If so, I think it's the most detailed one on record. These all bear signs of clear personality differences and ages, as well as time periods and dates that are awfully specific for a four-year old. She could even give us their heights." I murmured, glaring at the sheets as if they posed a problem. They did. Alucard suddenly phased through the wall, looking amused. "She's not delusional. I myself can sense the presence of multiple individuals in the same room she's currently in, but even my vamperic eyesight can't actually _see_ them. It's as if they're sentient projections of her mind, familiars almost. But these obviously have a conscious will."

"I guess we'll have to run some tests." Walter said, sweeping out. I raised an eyebrow as Gekido ran in circles around the room, clearly running from something. She ducked under an invisible arm, laughing and streaking away as a breath of air whooshed past me, barely stirring the errant strands of my hair. She somehow jumped over a person, tagging them with a delighted scream of "You're it!" and running away with a giggle. I cleared my throat and she skidded to a stop, and then almost toppled over, as if someone had run into her from behind. She jerked back however, as if the invisible person had caught her arm and was stopping her from a painful smack to the ground. "Thanks Margo." She muttered softly, straightening and facing us squarely, a slight flush of embarrassment spreading across her face. "We were playing tag." She clarified, and I nodded absently. "Gekido, can you ask one of your friends to touch me? Something, anything, but I want to see if they can make physical contact with someone other than you." I said briskly, and she nodded, looking around herself.

"Okay…" she murmured hesitantly, and then looked directly at me in anticipation. I waited, and there was a slight breath of air against my shoulder, stirring some of the fine strands of hair. "Anything?" she asked, and I shook my head as her face fell. "Meg's poking your shoulder. She says if you don't feel it soon she's going to-" She cut off and stared in outrage at the air an inch from my shoulder. "Meg! Don't you dare!" she yelped, but then gasped, covering her mouth with her hands as her eyes flicked to me. I raised an eyebrow at her, and she relaxed, but marched up to me, pinching the air next to my shoulder and stalking back, a scowl on her face as her arm twitched slightly, like she had grabbed someone who was struggling. "Meg, if you ever hit someone like that again I'll put you in solitary." She growled, letting go and glaring up at the air, and for a moment I felt as if I was looking at an infinitely younger, but still iron-willed version of myself. "Well then…so they really can't influence anything but you. Can one of you please lift her up a little?" Walter asked, and Gekido was suddenly floating in the air, squeaking and clinging to an invisible person as she was cradled in their arms.

"Walter?" I asked, and he moved forward, wires shining through the air as whatever held Gekido moved away nervously. "Relax. They don't hurt." He lied, and the cautious backwards movement stopped as his wires flicked through unimpeded air, not feeling anything as his brow puckered in a frown. "Strange…" he murmured, and Gekido was set down, holding someone else's hand nervously. "Do you want to show us some of the things they taught you?" I asked, and she nodded excitedly, jumping up and down a little. "Can I practice with a gun?" she asked meekly, and I shrugged, following Walter to the armory as Gekido scrambled to keep up with our adult strides. Gekido's eyes lit up as she giggled, scampering over to the rack that held all the guns and looking up at something, glancing at us as she whispered answers and questions, then hesitantly grabbed a gun I would have given her in several more years. "Shouldn't you find something smaller?" I asked as she approached the firing range, temporarily putting the gun down and grabbing the headphones.

"Tom said I should try this one." She said stubbornly, putting them in and taking a stance. I raised an eyebrow, seeing it was indeed correct as she made several minute adjustments, looking up frequently at whoever was beside her and nervously shifting. A hesitant smile cracked her lips, and she looked back towards the firing range, narrowing her eyes. Several cracks were heard, and she hissed after the third one, letting go of the gun and shaking out her hands, muttering what I hoped weren't swear words as she shook them out. She glared up at whoever had been instructing her, muttering something and jabbing at the gun as if to say "that wasn't what you told me it would do!" and then putting her hands on her hips. Her angry expression softened a little, and she ducked her head, scuffing her foot as the person reprimanded or corrected her, taking the position again and heaving a deep breath before firing once more.

She ran out of bullets and Walter pressed the button, bringing the target in. I raised an eyebrow as he sucked in a shallow breath, seeing the neat cluster of pockmarks near the very center of the chest, despite Gekido's obvious lack of recoil control. She put the gun back and rejoined us, looking expectant as to what we would ask her next. "Martial arts?" I asked, and she beamed, nodding. We led her to the training room, and I frowned slightly as the Wild Geese halted their training, looking up at the disturbance. Gekido nervously tugged on my sleeve, and I looked down at her. "Calico says she wants me to spar with that guy." She said softly, pointing to Captain Bernadette. I raised an eyebrow, but dragged her over, shoving her in the ring with him. "Iz zis a joke Mrs. Hellsing?" he asked, lighting a cigarette and raking Gekido with his eye. "No. Go easy on her, this is a test of sorts, for her, not for you." I said, turning and walking out of the ring as Gekido crouched.

He shrugged, flicking the cigarette away and crouching as well, having to stoop lower to reach her level. _That could work in her advantage…_ I thought, and he jabbed a fist forward, surprised when Gekido caught it and turned it aside, yanking him forward in what could be a fatal position, barely recovering himself in time. Gekido's eyes were narrowed, utterly focused on the fight, but every so often her eyes would flick to the side slightly, as if hearing a shouted comment. During one of these attention defects, he lunged forward in a kick, and she reflexively jumped, landing on his shoulders with perfect balance before jumping off on his other side, looking startled, almost as startled as him. She inhaled deeply, trying a nervous and shaky smile at him as he smirked back, curious and slightly admiring of her skills so far. Then her foot suddenly swept forward, snake-like in its sped, knocking his legs out from under him as she grinned and bounced, clapping her hands.

"I win I win I win I win I win I win I win I win!" she chirped, dancing in a circle around him as he groaned and sat up, rubbing the back of his head. "_Mon diue…_please tell me zis is another of your vampires; I don't think my ego can take another blow like zat…" he grumbled at me, and I shook my head. "So far, she seems to be entirely human." I said calmly, and he sighed, standing as his men laughed uproariously. "I'm going to cling to the slender hope you just haven't found out she isn't yet." He murmured, hobbling over to a drink stand and downing some vodka. Alucard phased through the wall, leering at Gekido as she scowled, pointedly looking at me instead. "I have had an idea concerning the communication issue master." He purred, and I glanced at him warily. "What?" I asked sharply, and he grinned. "You hook up the human to a brain monitor, read the sensory inputs indicating sound, and then translate them to intelligible speech. You'd be able to hear the creatures then, wouldn't you?" he asked, and I blinked. _That's…actually rather bloody clever of him._

_***Time Skip***_

Gekido stared vacantly at the ceiling as the doctors flicked through channels, trying to turn the brainwaves into a frequency that resembled human speech. The idea had been sound so far, a practical riot of voices battering her eardrums when we were all dead silent, indicating the presence of her hallucinations. Then there was a click, and voices filtered through.

"_This is so exciting!_" (Margo)

"_Yeah, but Gekido isn't moving. I don't trust modern methods, never have._" (Milady)

"_Relax Milady. She has to zonk out so they can listen in. She's just sleeping, kinda._" (Meg)

"_Then how come her eyes are open? I'm with Milady, something's wrong."_ (Iris)

"_Perhaps due to the nature of the operation she has been transferred to a coma-like state?_" (Arthur)

*_Oh yeah, good point Arthur. What do you think Tom?_* (Zimba)

"_Her vitals are stable, if that's what you mean. See?_" (Tom)

"_Hey, it's a mountain! And another! And another one!_" (Claude)

"_No Claude, that's her heartbeat. If it goes faster or slower it means she's nervous or sleepy._" (Sasha)

"_Pretty colors!_" (Twin)

"_Pretty colors!_" (Twin)

"_Indeed, this modern method is quite colorful. Like a rainbow._" (Calico)

I groaned, rubbing my forehead. How Gekido coped with all this, and most likely more, every day made me feel like handling Alucard in a playful mood was an easy task. "Listen, can you please be quiet for a little bit?" I asked, and there was a chorus of gasps.

"_Oh my god! Oh my god! She heard us! She heard us!_" (Margo)

"_You hook her up to some daffy machine to hear us and then ask us to shut up? Make up your mind lady._" (Milady)

"_Oh yeah! We're back in business! Watch out world!_" (Meg)

"_Shut up Meg, she can only hear us when Geki's passed out and hooked up._" (Iris)

"_Does anyone notice how we sound so much more like robots? Curious…_" (Arthur)

*_Probably the nature of the machine._* (Zimba)

"_What do you want mam?_" (Tom)

"_Oh! Person! Person! Person! Person!_"(Claude)

"_H-hello…_" (Sasha)

"_Cool!_" (Twin)

"_Cool!_" (Twin)

"_Greetings madam. Calico at your service._" (Calico)


	6. Jackal

_**High school, muhahahahahahahaha! At first, this was just going to be another one-shot that detailed Jackal's high school life, but then it kinda grew, and grew, and eventually I was just like "Frick, this brings up way too many side-comments and details, this is going to be a third installment of the Hellsing Cats series. And so it is. Read on my fans *ego*, read on.**_

_Jackal's POV:_

I slouched down in my seat, stretching deeply. Mrs. Withers was droning on and on and on, and my tail was sending jolts of pain up my spine. My ears itched under the wool hat. I hated the hat and hated the fact I had to hide my tail in my pants, but I had to hide them both from the normal people at this school. I glanced from side to side uncomfortably, feeling eyes staring at me. I slid a knife halfway out of its sheath, and then slid it back in disgust when I realized it was just the girls in my row. I sighed in annoyance. _Why can't they all just stare somewhere else? Dad's right, humans are stupid._ There was a flutter of female sighs as well, and I almost screamed in annoyance. _Now they're copying me!? God, how can this get worse?_

_Jesse's POV:_

I sighed, staring at Jackal's back. _He's sooo hot._ He always wore a hat, even though nobody else was allowed to in this school. But that was okay, he was so cool that anything he did was automatically perfect. Every girl knew he wasn't taken, and there had been an ongoing effort to hook him. He remained single. Some girls whispered he was gay, but I caught him staring at me once. Obviously he was a straight guy. There was no way he couldn't be. Jackal was perfect in every way. He had straight A's, and always did what the teachers told us to do. But he was sometimes a rebel too, because he had the hat. Did I mention he was perfect?

_Jackal's POV:_

At lunch I sat down with my friends, Brian and Michel. "The girls were staring at me again." I complained, shoving a hamburger in my mouth. Brian grinned at me. "Honestly Jack, go ahead and say hi to them. Shyness can only hook so many." I rolled my eyes. "I don't want to "hook" them, I want them to leave me alone!" I growled, salivating a little at the mention of fishing. Michel said calmly. "Then you might want to hide." I looked up to see a posse of the cursed females heading right for our table. I sighed. "Hi, I'm Jesse, and these are my friends. Can we sit here?" the one who seemed in charge asked. I nodded, moving over; ignoring the elbowing that broke out, until Jesse was sitting right next to me.

"So, why'd your parent's name you Jackal, cause that's such a cool name." One of them gushed, and I paused, wondering if I should answer truthfully. "My dad has a gun that's also named Jackal." I said coolly, stabbing a fork into some apple slices. They all stared at me. "Whoa, that's weird. Are your parents okay?" said Jesse, bubbling with concern. I smirked slightly. "Not in the slightest. Dad kills people for a living." They all stared at me. "Is he…wanted?" Jesse asked, eyes wide. I shook my head. "Nah, he just likes being on the front lines. The mercenaries usually take care of things." I took a drink of the pop. _I wish I had some blood right now._

They all stared at me. "How much money do your parents have?" one asked, looking like she was about to faint. I shrugged. "Dunno. I never bothered to ask." They looked confused. "Then who hired the mercenaries?" Jesse asked. That was one I could answer easily. "Our boss, Sir Integra. She's the one in charge." They all wowed softly. "So what do your parents do?" said Jesse, leaning closer to me. I bit my lip. "Umm, I would love to tell you, but it's strictly confidential. Several of Sir Integra's agents might be compromised. Sorry." They all looked disappointed. "So, how's your mom?" Jesse asked, and I grinned. "She's awesome. Sometimes she even lets me use her knives and stuff." I said, and they all did that whispering, muttering thing and giggled. I didn't try to peep in on their minds or listen in. Mom said it was rude and quite frankly I was afraid to. Suddenly my phone rang and I pulled it out, squinting at the number. I clicked it on as the girls all instantly went silent. "_Jackal, where in school are you?_" Mom asked, and I shrugged. "Cafeteria."

"_Please tell me there aren't tons of witnesses to the fact about twenty gun-toting Iscariots are going to jump you in about five seconds._" I winced. "Uh, yeah, about half the school. Why can't you come and beat the crap out of them?" I asked, and saw the girls' eyes bulge. "_Because your father and I are currently fending off Anderson, Heinkel, and Yumie from Integra. I'm hanging upside down over the balcony with Heinkel shaking my leg off. Alucard's currently trying to kill her but not getting anywhere since Anderson's impaling him through the…everything really. Just…try to keep it to a minimum?_" I growled, hearing thudding feet from all corners of the school. "You and dad never keep it to a minimum and don't tell me it's because you're tougher." She chuckled over the phone. "_Spoken like a true kid of mine. And Alucard's too I suppose. Well then, don't let any civilians die and don't show __**it**__ to anyone you wouldn't want hauled off to your father and brainwashed._" I nodded. "Right mom. Have fun." I said, turning the phone off.

"What was all that about?" Brian asked, and I sighed. "You remember my seventh birthday…" I said wearily, rubbing my forehead. He and Michel winced. "Oh…crap, not again?" he asked, and I nodded. "Yup." I said, and the Jesse girl broke in. "What happened on your seventh birthday?" Brian and Michel snickered and I gritted my teeth. "We had to evacuate the area because a whole bunch of terrorists-" The doors slammed open, and I sighed and shook my head, feeling both Brian and Michel pat my back in sympathy. Everybody started screaming, and the leader fired off about seven or eight shots to "calm" them all down. "All we want is the boy known as Jackal Pazúry! Hand him over and nobody gets hurt!" he snarled, and despite the hysterical protests of Jesse and the other girls I stood. "So…hello there." I said, grinning, and they all raised their guns slightly. "You're in the custody of Iscariot now! Put your hands above your head and turn around." I rolled my eyes and turned around, letting them approach me, guns still ready. "By the way, my mom told me she needed my help repainting the basement, so I actually can't come with you at this time. She gets pissed when I don't help out with chores." I said neutrally, hands still above my head.

_Jesse's POV:_

OMG. Oh my god oh my god oh my god oh my god… Jackal was so hot. Those creeps with the guns were approaching him and he was just as calm and neutral as ever, and then he said "By the way, my mom told me she needed my help repainting the basement, so I actually can't come with you at this time. She gets pissed when I don't help out with chores." and smirked a little as they growled. "We're not scared of her or that abomination!" the leader hissed, poking his back with the butt of his gun as I nearly fainted. "Oh I know that. You wouldn't be here otherwise. But you should be at least scared of _me_." He purred, his red eyes flaring dangerously. Before anybody could scream a warning, he spun, hand knocking the gun away from his chest as he bit down viciously on the man's arm. I nearly swooned in rapture. He let go and spat the blood out, punching the man rapidly until he flew back, choking out blood. He bent, picking up his gun as the other's gaped, casually switching the safety off and aiming it towards them. "You taste like hypocrisy." He chuckled, spitting another trickle of blood out of his mouth.

They growled, raising their guns. "I wouldn't. Isn't it your job to keep the night and nasty away from these people?" he purred, so quietly only somebody near, like me, could have heard. "I'm allowed to defend myself. If you shoot, we all know how it's going to end." He said louder, and they all looked at each other nervously. "DIE!" one roared suddenly, gunfire spurting from his machine gun as Jackal grunted, staggering back slightly and then shaking his head rapidly. As soon as he had moved previously, people had started running out, so now it was only me and a few others. He panted, and I whimpered as I saw blood dripping down his front to the floor. "Idiots. Silver, not even blessed, against _his_ son? You're dead!" he snarled, moving forward slightly as they gulped. He was suddenly blurring, and I gasped as I saw his hand tear through one of the men's entire _body_, not even pausing as he moved to the next and the next and the next. Only one was soon left as Jackal was dripping blood, hand streaked with red. "Don't even bother running. Shooting me that much made me hungry." He rumbled, approaching him as he whimpered, edging away and hitting the wall. He lunged, pouncing on the man and I cried out as I saw _fangs_ embed themselves in his neck, and Jackal began drinking, gulping down the blood hungrily.

He pulled away, licking his lips, and I whimpered, closing my eyes. I heard a growl and saw him approaching me, eyes glowing. "Back away! The power of Christ compels you!" I said, making a cross with my fingers. He stopped, eyes fading and crossing his arms. "Jesse, isn't it?" I nodded, feeling injured he hadn't even remembered my name. "The power of Christ is absolutely useless against vampires. Blessed items sometimes work, and silver does the trick too. But making a cross with your hands only makes me wants to laugh." He yanked out his phone, and I saw him put it on speaker. "Mom?" I heard a grunt at the other end. "I killed them all. But I have a witness." He said, eyes shifting to me. There was a sigh. "_The usual. Bring her in._" A female said, voice so guttural with pain that age was indistinguishable. He nodded, turning it off. "Right then. You're coming with me." He said, grabbing my arm and yanking me up. "Hey wait! You can't just kidnap me!" I said indignantly, and he chuckled. "Actually, from what you've seen just now, I can legally kidnap you and take you to my boss. The Queen herself allows it all the time." He said, and that piece of information kept me silent as he dragged me to the parking lot.

"God it's nice to be out of school." He said suddenly as we were waiting by the curb, flashing me a grin. There was a beep, and he looked up to see a limo. "Right. C'mon." he said, dragging me into the car, which had ominously dark-tinted windows. A blonde teen a little older than him was leaning against the seat, purple eyes slitted as she dabbed a wet cloth at a gaping wound in her chest. "Oh my god! We need to get her to a hospital n_ow_!" I squeaked, reaching out and then backing away, afraid I might hurt her more. Those purple eyes opened, and I squeaked again as I saw they were cat-slitted. "Shut it girl. No offense. I'm just fine and dandy, or I will be in a few seconds. Jackal, in." she growled, and he shoved me in before sliding into the seat next to me, not bothering to buckle himself. He eyed the woman, and she nodded. "Frick, the girl saw you in a blood rage. Might as well let it all out." she said neutrally, and he grinned.

I gaped as a tail snaked its way out of his pants, silky black fur brushing against my arm as he pulled his hat off, sexy cat ears twitching a little as he sighed and stretched. "God that cotton itches." He murmured, and the girl laughed. "Uh…" I whimpered, pointing at him numbly. "Well, since you're going to be mind-wiped in about ten minutes, we'll tell you everything. I'm Zara Pazúry, this is my son Jackal, as you probably know from school." I blinked. "Wait…SON?!" She grinned at me, eyes flickering with lively humor. "I _like_ this part of being a supernatural reject. I'm almost thirty years old." She said, stretching slightly as she yawned. "Mom's a werecat." Jackal said kindly, exchanging as grin with his…mother. "His father was a vampire, so that's why he has the fangs and the eyes and the blood crazes and suchlike and so on." She said, picking at her sharpened nails. "What…" I murmured, head spinning. "Again, you won't remember anything from today so don't even try to figure it out." she said kindly, chuckling a little.

"That's not fair!" I said, and she rolled her eyes. "Kid, I was experimented on from the age of six to become the ultimate weapon, was on the run for the rest of my childhood, was attacked nightly by vampires for my adolescence, had my twin brother betray me to my archenemy and was forced to kill him, was blown up, resurrected, brainwashed, kidnapped again, and injected with a serum that had Jackal's father's DNA in it to force me to have children, and suffered through the premature birth of FIVE kids, him being the only one that survived. Fairness isn't exactly part of my life." She snapped, and I flushed. "Err…sorry. How on earth are you going to brainwash me though?" Jackal grinned and she rolled her eyes, dramatically falling back on her seat. "Dad." Jackal chuckled at the same time she moaned "Alucard." I blinked. "Wait…what?" She held up her finger and I saw a glimmer of red gems. "My husband. He's a vampire, and Jackal's father, as we have told you numerous times before. He works for the same woman that hired me. "Works" being a key word." She and Jackal smirked.

The car stopped, and she and Jackal both got out, Jackal grabbing my hand and dragging me out after him. There was a flash of red and Zara had time to squeak "Wait a second no you don't-" before she was swept up by a tall man in a red duster. He rumbled happily, and I saw her nails lengthen as she gaked. "Alu…card…can't…breathe…" she managed to gasp, and he dropped her. "Apologies love." He said, his voice deep and sexy, even more so than Jackal's and I struggled to keep my composure, hands tightening their grip on Jackal to remind myself there was a hotter guy who actually knew me and wasn't _married_. She glared at him, and I saw the flash of affection pass between them before they turned to me. "Jackal, shame. Your first witness and she's clinging to you like a terrified mouse. Your mother's first was at least brave enough to stand on his own." He chuckled darkly, and I immediately let go, scowling at him. "Not my fault. She was the one who stayed, not me." Jackal growled, hands stuck in his pockets as his tail lashed angrily.

"Alucard, stop messing with him. He has to let go of a classmate after all." Zara reprimanded, punching the man's shoulder, and I heard a crack of broken bone and gulped as I saw her calmly start rearranging her knuckle-bones. He chuckled, raising a hand to his glasses. "ALUCARD!" A female voice bellowed, and he scowled and lowered it. A woman with silvery-blonde hair stomped out, glaring at all three of the supernatural creatures. "You know the rules. We get her statement, file it, and _then_ you erase it from her memory." She snarled, deflating my hope she would stop them from mind-wiping me. She grabbed my arm, dragging me back inside as Zara, Jackal, and Alucard exchanged in a family argument. I heard Zara's shrieks all the way from over here and winced as the lady closed the door with a slam. A teen looked up, red eyes soft and glowing. "Hey Integra. Witness?" The woman, Integra, nodded wearily. She grinned, and I saw the now-familiar flash of fangs. "Daw, Jackal's slipping. I've _still_ not had any witnesses." She chuckled, and I heard a drawn-out yell. "Oh god, not _now_…" Integra grumbled, and there was a flash of purple as a teen skidded past us.

"Hey boss! Who's she?" he asked, casually cradling a grenade in his hands. "TECHNO YOU DIE TODAY!" a female bellowed, and he yelped and ran again, followed by an older woman with several other grenades strapped to her body and a match in her mouth like a cigarette. "Just ignore them all…also, ZARA!" Integra bellowed, and the blonde teen tumbled through the door, several knives held at the ready."What! Any more for me to play with?!" She said excitedly, and Integra sighed. "_No._ Restrain your mercenaries before I imprison the lot for threatening the public safety of all England." Zara sighed and ran after the boy and woman, shouting something after them. "God, working here must give you such a headache…" I said, and she nodded absently as she opened the doors to what looked like an office.

_Zara's POV:_

After catching and knocking out both Techno and Maniac, I let Alucard phase me and Jackal to Integra's office, where she was just finishing up on her report as the girl nervously fidgeted in her seat. "So are either of us in trouble?" I asked, putting a hand on Jackal's shoulder as Alucard leered at the teen, making her gulp. Integra glared at the both of us. "Nearly. Did you have to tell her so much?" I shrugged. "Well, I wanted to help the poor thing. She won't remember any of it anyway, right Alucard?" He grinned, ruffling my hair affectionately. "She has a point master." He said, ego swelling as Integra gritted her teeth and nodded. We all grinned at each other for a moment, and Integra sighed, motioning for him to get on with it. "Girl!" he snapped, and she turned, glancing at him, then staring as he caught her mind. "Erase all memory of the incident, however, I've found she works for one of our more…elusive targets. Make a trigger, better make it your name, no human will say that in a conversation, and even if they do, it won't be one she'd walk away from. That man plays for keeps."

Alucard sighed and obeyed, setting the trigger and then making the girl fall into a deep sleep. "Take her to a hospital while I work on the official story. Jackal, you do realize they'll be all over you, male and female?" He made a face and nodded. "Good, I can put you down for whatever I want then. Dismissed, the lot." We nodded and both vampires phased out as I streaked away. Alucard most likely was the one to take the girl, and I settled down for a game of poker to see if I could wrest control of the TV from Soarece.

_Jackal's POV:_

"No…no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, NO!" I murmured, pinching my nose as I saw the destination for our field trip to learn more about the ancient mansions of England. "Wha…oh crap, how's your family gonna cover the whole secret job thing up?" Michel said, also seeing the bulletin. "With a whole lot of sheer dumb luck." Brian said sadly, and I nodded. Jesse peeked at me curiously, and I avoided her gaze. Damn females were even more soppy this past month, and she was the worst, always following me or trying to strike up a conversation in the halls. I was polite, but seriously getting annoyed. _God, someone please take her away before I lose it and tell her to piss off… _I groaned mentally, slouching and walking away with Brain and Michel as I heard her footsteps behind me. _Hey mom, what's the keyword again?_ I begged, and I heard her snort. _Jackal, I have to tell you this, you are what girls consider dead sexy. Even if she gets her memory back, she'll still idolize you, it's another gene you inherited from your dad. This cat is staying in the bag._

I grumbled under my breath, kicking savagely at a desk and catching myself just in time to keep it from snapping apart. _I promise I won't use it on her._ I growled, and she chuckled. _So dedicated. Well, the trigger is your name, my name, and then Techno, and then Soarece. I'd like to see __**that**__ come up in a casual conversation. Alucard's is something she might catch from some weird Dracula spoof game._ She said fondly, and I could picture her making a face at dad._ Yeah mom. Love you and all, bye._ I said, and then cut the mental link as the bell rang and we all scurried to class.

Jesse's POV:

I slung my backpack over my shoulder, dumping it in my car and driving off to Mr. Morton's, getting out and quickly putting my hair up as I tied my apron, taking my place at the counter and waiting with a smile as the restaurant customers started filtering in. It wasn't really a restaurant, more a dinner, but it paid and I needed money. Mr. Morton himself came by to ask about the incident at school, where I had gotten knocked out by a stray chip of masonry and forgot everything, which made me a little uneasy, but then again everything worked out fine and I was safe, as well as Jackal. Everyone was idolizing him for carrying me to the hospital, although when I thanked him for it he merely shrugged and muttered something about it being the right thing to do before slouching away, head bowed. He did ask me what hours I worked at, and I had told him, so I was secretly hoping for him to come.

"Jesse, spacing out again over that Jack boy again?" Mr. Morton teased, and I blushed, mortified as he chuckled. My blush grew as Jackal walked in with another boy and an older female, chatting absently. "Hey Jesse. These are my friends, Techno, and Maniac." He said, gesturing to them both as Techno gave me an impish wink and Maniac flicked her fingers in a short peace sign before dropping them. "Soda and a burger please." She said in a roughened, American-accented voice as Techno shrugged. "Eh, I'll have a milkshake. Jackal?" he said lazily, and the object of all my dreams scratched his chin. "Soda and burger too." He said calmly, and I nodded, walking away to place their orders as he and the others sat down. "Techno, if you do the you-know-what prank I swear I will make sure you do flagpole duty for the rest of your life." Jackal muttered at the other male with an evil glare as he pouted, folding his arms and turning up his nose as Maniac played with a lighter, flicking it on and off in a rapid tune.

I did my duties as the waitress, keeping an eye on them as Mr. Morton himself walked over, looking angry. "Hello sir. May I help you?" Jackal asked calmly, and he growled. I blinked. Mr. Morton had always been so nice to his employees and customers; I didn't understand why he wasn't being pleasant to Jackal as well. "If you're not here to drink or eat, get out!" he snarled, and I blinked, something niggling in my brain. Had it been just me, or had he put special emphasis on _drink_? Jackal's mouth turned down slightly in an almost imperceptible frown, but it soon lightened to his neutral, flat line. "I was not aware we were so up front about this." He said coolly, and Mr. Morton blinked. "I take it you and your friends are all of the same?" he asked, and I edged closer silently. Did he pause before saying _same_? "Myself and my friend here is. Maniac is someone we trust." He said, poking Techno lightly in the shoulder as Mr. Morton suddenly transformed back into the man I knew. "Splendid! Would you like to come back tonight and smooth things over with a drink?" he asked eagerly, and Jackal paused for a moment. "That would be nice." He said calmly, and Mr. Morton bustled off as Techno and Maniac gave him evil glares.

I set their plates down, and they all twitched slightly, like I had intruded on their private thoughts. "Thank you Jesse. Much obliged." Jackal said calmly, and his friends nodded, already tucking into their food. I beamed at him and walked away, humming to myself as I tried to ponder the strange, almost coded conversation. I kept an eye on their table still, and soon they left as Jackal slapped down some bills and gave me a generous tip, locking eyes with me for a moment before leaving. I closed my eyes, heat sweeping over me in a heady blush as I picked up the money and walked to the till in the back to place it in, swaying a little to myself. Suddenly an iron-strong hand gripped my arm, yanking me back to a flat surface as a burst of pain rocketed in my head and everything went black. I slumped to the floor, hearing a semi-familiar voice. " 'Bout time we got another one, the last batch is getting weak. And I did promise that young fledgling a drink."

_Jackal's POV:_

"EWWW!" Techno finally spluttered, spitting out his milkshake and scraping at his tongue as his red eyes sparked in annoyance. "God, sometimes being a vampire isn't all that!" Maniac chuckled, sipping her soda in smug silence. "As Alucard would say, it was your choice." She said calmly, and he gave her a nasty glare. "Oh be quiet. Jackal, you get it, right?" he asked me desperately, and I coughed, hiding my own smirk. "Actually I'm partially human, so I can eat the human foods with them tasting nasty." I said with a straight face, and he screamed in frustration, running in a rapid circle around us to blow off steam. I casually stuck out an arm and clotheslined him, making him choke and collapse as Maniac shook her head sadly. "Someone pity the poor vampire…" he muttered weakly, and I heard Soarece shriek, phasing down the steps to snatch him up. "TECHNO! Are you okay?!" she squealed, holding him at arm's length before he gave her a weak thumbs up, then kissed him frantically. He flailed for a moment as he caught his balance, then kissed her back as I rolled my eyes and Maniac made a face. They finally pulled apart, and Techno gave a weak fistpump. "Now that's…a way I like to be pitied." He mumbled, grinning hazily as Soarece pulled him in for another kiss.

"Ahem." I looked up the steps further, and swallowed hard. Mom was tapping a foot, looking mad. I flinched, and Techno broke away from Maniac to grip my shoulder. "Dude, _run_. Run _fast_." He whispered, and I took a single step backwards. "IDIOT!" She roared, tackling me to the ground and smacking my head against a rock. "HOW STUPID ARE YOU?! YOU COULD'VE RUINED _MONTHS_ OF PREPARATION AND YOUR GIRLFRINED'S LIFE IF HE CAUGHT YOU!" she screeched, shaking me by the shoulders as the world became fuzzy. "He-didn't-catch me-thought-I-was-another-fledgling-FREAK-vampire-m om-stop-can't-see-" I slurred, and she stopped, glaring down at me with unholy fire burning in her gaze. "Darling, why are you strangling our son?" Dad's voice purred from above us, and mom was lifted off me as he held her by the waist. She growled and started squirming frantically as I sat up, twisting in his grip to scrabble at his shoulders.

I watched them absently, musing to myself. Sometimes it was really strange to see them together. Dad usually was in his late twenties and early thirties, and mom hadn't aged a day since I was born, still a teenager. Yet she was like what, in her late twenties? It was a baby amount compared to dad, in his late 500s. So it was very strange sometimes when they scuffled, and now was one of them. It looked like a father restraining his teenager, not a husband cuddling his wife. _Go figure._ "Hey mom, I got in though. The Elder invited me in for a drink tonight." I said, and they stopped glaring –or in dad's case, smirking- at each other. "Yeah, but can you take him out on your-" Mom started to say, but her chin was gripped by dad and he pulled her in for a kiss as she flailed indignantly. He finally broke it, and she glared at him weakly. "Fine…but be really careful and take your guns." She admonished me, and I rolled my eyes, nodding and starting to walk inside to get ready.

_3__rd__ Person POV:  
_ Jackal waited, rocking slowly on the balls of his feet as he tapped a forefinger on his pistol, the Sanctum. _Blessed pure __Macedonian__ silver melted down for __cross-cut soft-nosed bullets, in the standard Marvell N.N.A.9 cartridges, 10 inches long with 13 millimeter armor piercing rounds; this weapon is designed for the lighter things your Ira can't handle. Still one hell of a big ass gun!_ Techno's voice echoed in his head as he admired Jackal's newest weapon so many months ago, and he sighed softly, wrapping his fingers around the reassuring steel of the gun and squeezing lightly. He was dressed in his usual black double-breasted jacket and gloves, cat ears flat against his head where they would be hopefully hidden from any observers, tail curled neatly around the waist of his black pants. The door finally opened, and he instantly let go, sliding out a credit card instead. "Mr. Morton invited me." His voice was soft and confident, and he was shown in, the proprietor himself standing behind the counter. "Ah, there you are young man. No hard feelings about earlier, after all I need to keep out the riffraff." He said happily, putting an arm around the younger vampire's shoulders and leading him behind the bar to a closed door, opening it with a smirk.

"Young, virgin, she should be pretty good. Tell me if she's any good and I'll try to replace the lost blood." He said, clapping the impassive teen on the back and closing the door with a bang as the lock clicked. He knelt in front of Jesse, who was staring at him, wide-eyed, bound and gagged on the room's floor. "Jackal, Zara, Techno, Soarece." He said clearly, and her eyes widened further as she jerked back. "Mmm!" she tried to communicate, and he cut her gag with a razor-sharp nail, putting a finger to his lips as he did so. "Jackal! What the hell's going on and why…oh my god…OH MY GOD!" she whimpered, and he clapped a hand over her mouth. "Jesse be quiet! I removed the trance because you're more useful with all your memory back. So for the love of god SHUT UP!" he whispered fiercely, and she nodded. "Right, so the big question. Question_s_, actually. One, did anything bite you, and two, are you a virgin?" he asked her, and she blushed bright red.

"N-no I'm fine and y-yes, I am a v-vi-vir-" she stammered, looking at her hands as he nodded abruptly and cut her bonds. "Good, I don't have to worry about you turning ghoul or vamp on me when I'm exterminating." He said briskly, and she started, rubbing at her wrists rapidly as he stood, pulling out a huge pistol as her eyes widened. "You don't have that in school do you?!" she squeaked, and he spared her an amused glance. "Mom only lets me have knives in public grounds, unless it's something important. For the lighter missions, I have Sanctum. Ira is the heavy duty gun." He said calmly, loading his gigantic black-grey pistol with a click and turning. "If you see anything that remotely resembles a zombie, alert me and _stay out of its way_. Do _not_ let anything bite you, and I don't care if it's a mosquito. Stay at my back at all times, and for the love of god, don't make too much noise." He said rapidly, and then kicked the door open, grabbing her arm and dragging her in his wake as they emerged into the darkened hallway.

He stretched out his arm, the gun blasting rapidly as several men with machine guns choked and fell to the floor, rapidly dissolving as Jesse squeaked. "Z-zombie!" she stammered, clutching at his arm as he suddenly turned, keeping her behind him with an arm as he began firing rapidly, ghouls stumbling out of the once-locked doors. "Damn things must've been interconnected as a security measure." He muttered, striding forward as she scuttled behind him numbly and reloading his gun. The discharge went off in a ghoul's open mouth, making the head explode and spatter Jackal's grinning face with gore as he chuckled darkly, spinning to shoot at another FREAK vampire as Jesse stumbled with him, clinging to his free arm with huge eyes and heaving breaths. His wrist suddenly shot past her nose, making her "eep" as he fired at the ghoul about to grab her shoulders and drag her down. "This is Jackal Pazúry, target distracted and engaged ghouls, backup requested ASAP." He muttered into the shiny metal band around his wrist, temporarily freeing it from the terrified human.

"_On it Jack. We're sending your father and the Captain over with some of the H.D. Requesting permission to attend?_" Zara's voice came through, and Jackal smirked as he blew the head off another ghoul. "No mom. Let the others in the family have their fun, besides, you're supposed to guard Integra for the "how dare you" meeting with the Iscariots tonight." He said condescendingly into it, and there was a sigh. "_You got me kid. Have fun and save some for your dad when he comes to scare the stuffing out of them._" She said, and it hung up as Jesse ducked, Jackal's open hand missing her by inches as he stabbed it through a chipped vampire's chest. He yanked it out as blood dripped onto her neck, giving her an annoyed look as she whimpered. "Stay." He growled, suddenly shoving her into the wall and reloading his gun. Bullets peppered the ranks of undead, and they uttered long moans before collapsing into dust. Jackal jerked around, catching the bare-fisted punch the FREAK threw at him and kicked upwards, a gruesome crunch of shattering bone echoing in the air as his boot met arm. The woman screamed, and he grinned mirthlessly, swiping her head off with his bare hands and charging into another vampire, trading blows and then impaling him through the heart as he choked, blood dripping from his mouth momentarily before he collapsed into a pile of ashes like his comrades.

Jackal froze as the sound of a gun cocking split the air, turning to see Mr. Morton himself holding a Smith and Wesson's, panting hard. "Alright pal, just what the hell is going on? Think you're some kind of hunter?" he snarled, and Jackal's previously hidden cat ears flicked up as his tail slowly slid out from under his clothing. "One of the best." He replied calmly, and Morton snorted. "Like hell you are. What's your name boy? I wanna know what to write on your tombstone." He growled menacingly, and Jackal reloaded the Sanctum calmly. "Jackal. Jackal Pazúry." He said, and the man –vampire– paled. "You…you…" he stammered, backing away as Jesse shrunk back against the wall. Jackal's gaze flickered to hers in annoyance as the panicked FREAK seized her by the ankle and dragged her to him, holding her as a body shield. She cried out in pain as the offending limb throbbed painfully, and the teenage vampire sighed in resignation, closing his eyes. "Bad move." He said quietly, and the man snorted. "Yeah? Then shoot me." He taunted, and Jackal's brilliant crimson eyes opened.

"If you insist." He said calmly, and the Sanctum boomed several times as Jesse cried out, feeling something hot and painful sear into her body as Jackal was suddenly close, his arm wrapping around her side as his arm impaled the former employer, all the way up to his elbow as Morton hissed, then collapsed into dust. She whimpered, aware blood was trickling down her body as Jackal pulled his hand out. Jackal leaned back as she blushed slightly, his eyes raking over her. "You flinched." He grumbled, touching her side lightly where there was a large red stain. "I wouldn't have hit you if you'd have stayed still." She glared at him, forgetting her crush for a moment as she snapped tartly "My apologies for not being entirely on top of the situation." Then she remembered who she was talking to and clapped her hands over her mouth, looking horrified. He grunted in absent amusement, suddenly grabbed her side as she cried out, pain shooting through her body as he nodded to himself.

"Just barely penetrated. Almost a graze, but I suppose that can't be helped." He said, then let go slowly. "Try and stand." She immediately collapsed, and he gave a weary sigh, kneeling beside her on the floor and reaching for the wound again as she scooted away in anticipation of more pain. His eyes snapped up to hers, and while annoyed, promised no harm, so she let him touch it again gently, unlike the harsh squeeze like last time. She noticed idly that his ears swiveled in many directions at once, just like a cat's, independent of each other as his tail gave a few lazy flicks every so often. "Can you…I dunno, hide those?" she asked, and he blinked, looking up from her side. "Hmm?" He sounded slightly surprised, and she blushed, gesturing helplessly to his tail and ears. "I mean…um…it's not exactly…" she mumbled, and a wry smile twisted his lips. "I'm not shy about it. You want to know if I have to deal with these 24/7, correct?" he asked softly, and she nodded, blushing.

"Unfortunately, yes. Mom is a werecat; she appears human and is mostly human for most of her daily life. When she changes, unless she's very angry, it's usually a conscious decision. Her only physical defects are her eyes and her nails. Dad's kinda the same, except he always has black hair and red eyes no matter what form he uses, although Sir Hellsing says his original human form has dark brown hair. Mom died a few months after she met Dad, and when she got back to him he almost shot her because the friend –her name's Soarece- that had taken care of her until then got turned into a vampire a few years previously. A bunch of stuff happened, and after that I was born. The spirits that brought back mom altered her body a lot, so it was incredibly dangerous that her children had vampire genes. You know, three species DNA spliced into one, Human, Cat, and Vampire. All four of my littermates died, two before they were born, and the other two had birth defects, one crippled and one too small. I was the only one that survived, and mom hasn't had any other litters –kids- since I was born. So there are some things that I can and can't do that my parents can't." he said briskly, and she felt a slight sting of pain as he finished bandaging her wound.


	7. Team VAMP

_**Team VAMP**_

_Valkyrie's POV:_

Thud. Tmp. Thud. Tmp. Thud. Tmp. Thud. Tmp. I ran across the rooftops, the cool metal of my headset warming the closer it got to my ear, until it was uncomfortably itchy. "_Reaper, you have the target?_" My partner darted along the rooftop across from mine, and I refocused ahead. "Yup. Click-clack." I couldn't resist teasing him, and I heard his teeth grit over the phone. "_Reaper, shut it. How's __I__ncendium__ doing?_" I flicked another glance over at my partner. "Spoiling for a fight. She's practically glowing." I said into it, and I heard his sigh. "_God forbid she ever tries to blend in. Our hosts are giving me a hard time for it, saying she's spoiling their hunts._" I chuckled, flipping closer and tapping my partner on her shoulder, giving her a warning look before jumping back to my own roof. "God forbid we spoil the hunts. Except, we're saving them from the ones who stop the hunts, am I right?" I asked, and he sighed again. "_Enough sparring Reaper. I want both of those eyes on the roofs and ready for an attack. Get it got it good._" I grinned, shaking my head slowly. "Understood Click-clack. I await further orders." I said sarcastically, dropping down to the streets before returning to the roofs, keeping up a flickering silhouette.

Adjutor got to the target first. I could tell by the sudden burst of flames that rocketed out from an alleyway, and sighed before approaching. "Incendium, I though you've been told. Wait until target is proven hostile." Her bright orange eyes sparked, and she gestured indignantly to her body. "He groped me!" I sighed, shaking my head as I saw the charred vampire huddling on the ground before her. "That just means he's a lecherous pig, not necessarily a homicidal. Sir, are you conscious?" I gently tapped his shoulder, and he uncurled with a moan. "What did this human do to you? I think she's got a flamethrower! Do you need help?" I asked, and he painfully sat up. "V-vampire?" he whimpered meekly, and I nodded. He grinned, a sudden splitting of a charred face. "Good. Get this damned human bitch and I'll treat you to a drop of something nice." He said, and I sighed. "Fair enough." I quickly jabbed an elbow down, crunching into his face and caving it in as he shrieked. "We hunt homicidal. If you'd just been a good little boy and not killed anyone we'd have made this much easier on you." I said calmly, drawing my knife and wiggling it slightly.

Suddenly both our headpieces bleeped and I paused. "_Guys! Base attack! Base attack! Get your asses in here!_" I sighed, shaking my head as I jumped lightly up to a rooftop. "Adjutor, you got this one right?" She pouted, incinerating him with a single gesture before grinning and hopping up beside me. "As always Valkyrie. Let's go save our boss." She said, and I grinned to her as I jumped away, springing from rooftop to rooftop as fast as the eye could see. Faster, if you were a human. She followed, sparks trailing in her wake like a comet. _And there goes being inconspicuous. _

Ker-BLAM. I kicked the door in, quite nicely I might add, before stepping inside and looking around. Nobody we knew. I put a few fingers in my mouth and whistled, high and shrill, hoping for an answer. There was a moan, and Krieg dragged himself out from whatever corner he had been hiding in, most of his lower body blasted away. Adjutor swore and I kneeled, propping him up and assessing the damage. "Silver poisoning. Its corroding the wound, but originally I think it was a gunshot…" I murmured, seeing a deeper pockmark on his upper leg. Death fluttered about him, a dusty black fog. "Oh no you don't." I told it, nails digging into his leg as I bared my fangs. I quickly and gently ran my hands along the burning, crumbling flesh, finding one…two…three…four…five bullets. I quickly nipped my finger, sticking it in the wounds and questing for the silver. I hissed, feeling the sting as I gently drew them out one by one, feeling the silver start to corrode my own flesh as well, and quickly dropped them on the ground.

"Adjutor, find some blood. I don't care whose or what, but find me some blood and make it virgin." I snapped over my shoulder, and she rapidly rummaged through the fridge, orange eyes wide and panicked but movements deft and sure. "We only have two pints." She said, bringing aforesaid pints over as I grabbed the top in my teeth, ripping it open and pouring the rejuvenating blood in his wounds. I held the other in his mouth, mentally urging him to swallow. I saw his Adam's apple bob, and he stirred weakly. "Sit still. I'm giving you the last of the virgin, AB and O. You're the first we found." I fired off rapidly before he could speak, and he fell back, accepting our treatment mutely. Once I felt he was stable enough, the shadowy pall of death now only a light smear, I stood, getting ready to move to the other rooms. I took several blood packs as a precaution, and it turned out to be a good idea. Tris was next, her bottle-blonde curls tumbled about her face, her heart all but gouged from her chest. I gently replaced it, drizzling half of a pack on it and letting her feed from the rest, seeing death like a thick black cloud around her body. Her cerise eyes opened, and she mutely pleaded for information.

"We found Krieg and yourself so far, no enemies. I'm feeding you some blood, but we had to use all the virgin packs to save Krieg." I said, and she nodded weakly, swallowing. I nipped my finger again, thick red drops oozing from it as I sprinkled it on her wound, the virgin fluid healing her better and faster. My stomach growled, and I placed a hand over it, silently reminding myself there were people who needed the blood a hell of a lot more than I did right now. _Two down, three to go._ I stepped forward, silently arming my pistol. I didn't sense any enemies, but something, or someone, that could get the drop on a family of vampires, not to mention Marcus and Pandora, wasn't likely to be sensed by a relatively weak newborn such as myself. Sasha was lying on the steps, and I gritted my teeth, silently vowing to blast every last intruder down to bits. This female, this _child_, had been shot through the neck, hands, and stomach. I picked her up, gently setting her upright and giving her as much blood as I could, saving two for Luke and Nick. She slowly awakened as I fed her, and frightened red eyes met mine.

"It's alright. Auntie Val is here." I said softly, ruffling her hair. She smiled a little, and I smiled back, retracing my steps back to Tris and placing her daughter by her side. I moved on again, hoping against hope her brothers were alright, even though both were a little bit of a jerk. I heaved an unneeded sigh of relief. Luke and his twin were propped up against the wall, bloody streaks leading down to their bodies. I slapped them before feeding them the last two blood packs, as well as splitting a pint of my own blood between them. Bullets had torn through their upper chest, and they barely avoided extermination by…some pretty subtle acrobatics, as far as I was concerned. They, being the stubborn gits that they were, refused any further help and hobbled downstairs, rejoining their sister, mother, and father. Adjutor silently joined me, letting sparks flare around her right hand as we opened the secret door. Marcus and Pandora were unconscious, and I saw the marks of battle on both of them. Since they weren't vampires, I couldn't exactly feed them a little blood and hope they'd reawaken.

"Agents Reaper and Incendium reporting in. Come in command center." I said, both to the room and my headset, and Pandora stirred weakly. "Valkyrie? Is everyone else okay?" I nodded, helping her sit up as Adjutor started shaking Marcus, in a less than gentle fashion. He shuddered, brown eyes snapping open. "Huh? Guys, what…oh god. Is the family okay?" he asked, sitting up without her "help" and looking at the screens frantically. "I fed them all, and they look like they'll live. There will be scars, both mental and emotional. They'll move, for sure." I said, sighing and shaking my head. He nodded, taking off his broken pair of earphones and carefully laying them on the computer desk. "Well, we better all report to one another. Pandora and I were monitoring you two, and all of a sudden Nick burst in and said someone was attacking us. He ran back out before we could say anything, slamming the door behind him, and we heard gunshots. I radioed you, but then the door flew in and I got thwacked by a large piece of concrete. Pandora?"

She nodded, tucking a strand of her silvery-blonde hair behind her ear self-consciously. "Pretty much the same thing. I would guess the person who attacked us somehow knew we weren't vampires and didn't bother on killing us for sure. The police will probably-" the sound of the doorbell cut her off, and I nodded sharply. "I'll head them off. Hang on, I'll be back in a jiffy." I said cheerfully, winking at them and streaking down the stairs, coming to a halt in front of the door. "Hello?" I asked, opening it and seeing a bored-looking man in a military uniform standing on our front step. "Got a call for a body pickup. One male and one female, young, early twenties, sound familiar?" I rolled my eyes dramatically, chuckling a little. "Oh, that. Nah, someone already came by and took care of it. So scary to come home to!" he nodded, turning away after a sharp salute. "Have a nice evening mam." I grinned. _I always do._ "Thank you. Take care going home." I said, and he nodded absently as I closed the door.

"You…is it too much to ask, but…can you go get us something to drink?" Krieg asked, coughing a little. I beamed, rolling my eyes again. "Course, ya manky Russian git." I said playfully, walking out and snagging my purse as I went. All was deathly silent, and I rubbed my neck, feeling the rough little scar on the inside of my collarbone. I sighed, shaking my head and silently cursing the world as I stepped inside a medical bank, rummaging for money. "Ah, Mrs. Valkyrie. The usual?" I smiled, grinned really, at the helpful young man. "Actually, can I have a peek and chose what I need? I don't want to cast aspirations on your merchandise, but my cousin had a little fluctuation after the last dose, you know how it is…" He nodded rapidly, fumbling for his keys and opening the vault, and my stomach growled again as I stepped in, the tempting, although much cut back, scent of blood surging around me. I quickly sniffed out a dozen packs of virgin blood, paying and taking my leave with a few warm nods and greetings. I sighed, pushing my hair back and letting the warm night breeze caress my death-black hair.

_Pandora's POV:_

Valkyrie came back in, blood packs in hand, smiling cheerfully at us as she placed them in front of our hungry hosts. They dug in, snatching the bags and slurping the red liquid down eagerly, even little Sasha. Valkyrie refrained from joining in, saying she had already eaten from a drunk on the way here. I snuck a peek at her from under my lashes, and she intercepted it, giving me a sharp look. I flushed, looking away again. She was always a bit prickly, insisting I stop "mother-henning" her, but she did need a little looking after. As she turned, I caught a peek of her red eyes, and they were sleepy and content, testifying that she had indeed already eaten. Drank. Whatever it was. Adjutor sat down with a thump beside me, hands behind her head as she kicked her boots up on the table. "Feet down." I said firmly, and she raised an eyebrow at me, but obeyed. "So when are we going after them? I mean, look at Sasha, we need to take revenge!" she barked excitedly, slamming her fist down on the table.

Her dark orange, yellow streaked hair, chopped down to her earlobes in her strange pixie cut, bounced about her head as she glared at all of us in turn. Luke and Nick nodded as if they were agreeing with her, and I sighed, shaking my head with Tris and Krieg. Sasha merely looked at all of us, bright red eyes huge and confused. "No-go Adjutor." Marcus said firmly, standing in the doorway, and I twitched slightly. He always ghosted out of nowhere like that. The flame-haired (and tempered) woman stood, eyes flashing. "WHY! They attacked us, almost killed an innocent family, and I didn't get to enjoy myself on our mission! We should burn them to ashes!" she yelled, face turning red as her hair stood up, sparks and flickers of flame running along each strand as she moved her hands aggressively, demonstrating every word. Valkyrie walked in behind Marcus, but I didn't blame her for being silent. She was a vampire after all.

"Because Pyro, we don't know who did it, we don't know if we can beat them, and we certainly don't know if they have friends that will come after us for it. I'm with you all the way, but we need something more concrete than just "GET 'EM" and a lot of ammo." She said, and Adjutor nodded, temper and hair slowly cooling. She and Valkyrie acted well as a team, both violent and hot-headed, but Val's logical approach meant Adjutor's wild outbursts had less fatal and expensive effects and victims. Fast friends, closer than the rest of us, but still part of the team, always part of the team. Adjutor was the mascot, the one who kept us at it and laughing on even the most miserable of days and took the brunt of our rages and blame without complaint, or even noticing. Although none of us mentioned it, Valkyrie was the unspoken leader. Marcus may be the one to make most of the calls and get most of the credit, he was only the cloak Valkyrie seemed to use to mask her own influence. She would obey him, but only if it was a last resort. Otherwise, she was calling the shots.

_Adjutor's POV:_

Pandora was doing it again. Spacing off into lala land. I sighed, bouncing my head against the back of my seat. She was always like that. The thinker. The planner. She never raised her voice, not unless she needed to, and even then it was a firm mutter that somehow was more thunderous than one of Valkyrie's angry snarls when she was hunger or blood-crazed. I smirked. Oh yeah, Val was the real VOCIE behind us. Marcus? He just monitored, that's all he ever did. But boy-howdy, that dude could lecture. My ears twinged at the very thought, and I made a face. He was the cover-up boss, the one who took on most of the day-to-day shit. But if there was a total panic situation, we'd all be turning to one person, and it sure as hell wouldn't be Mr. Code-name-Click-clack over there. Nope, it was my girl Valkyrie, blood-spattered fangs and all. Speaking of, she pulled out a couple files.

"We have several secret organizations that target vampires, most indiscriminate. But in this day and age with everyone on planes, we're going to find it hard tracking down who actually did this one." She said, sweeping them out in an arch and letting us examine them. "So we go by victims. This was a one-person hit, fast, deadly, and using silver bullets. Let's work on from there." I growled under my breath, gingerly holding the paper and flicking through the files, frowning to myself as I read. There was silence for a few moments, broken only by the shuffling of paper and my own mumbles of annoyance. We picked our way through organizations bit by bit, and I soon ran out of paper. "We have at least four matches for single man or woman strikers who are able or have been reported working alone. Of those, only two use bullets. A Heinkel Wolfe from the Vatican organization Section 13 Iscariot and an Alucard from Her Majesty's Royal Hellsing. Between them, this Alucard is more likely, given that Heinkel is based in Italy and is usually seen with her partner, a nun with a katana." Valkyrie said, looking up from her files as Marcus and Pandora sighed and kicked their legs back, copying me.

"So now can we go kill him?" I asked, quickly letting go of the papers as they began to smolder in my hands. Pandora and Valkyrie shook their heads. "Not yet Adjutor." Marcus said sternly, standing and going up to our shared secret room, probably finding some evidence to convince me to stay. I growled, standing and stalking out, only to be caught in Valkyrie's iron grip and swung around. "Oy, there's no way I'm letting you go out by yourself right now. I see that look." She whispered harshly, and I gritted my teeth. "Let go damn vampire. I'm going to get some fresh air, away from you scumbags." I snarled, yanking my arm from her hand as she hissed and let go, fingers smoking. I stalked out, slamming the door behind me. My hair steamed as I stomped along the sidewalk, blood boiling in my veins. What, they think I was stupid? No way was I just gonna disobey all logic and rules and dive right into a shithole. Probably what would happen, given the power it took to down several vampires, not to mention Marcus and Pandora.

Speaking off…I kicked a rock, watching in angry silence as I skittered away, sinking deep into a concrete wall with a ping. I muttered oaths to myself, walking over the bridge with my usual haste. How could anybody do that to a kid? My anger swelled and flexed, mimicking the flicker of my hair. She had been shot, what, five times? Why? If I or anyone with a heart did it, we'd have done a kill shot and left it. But no, that bastard had gone to maim and hadn't even made sure to kill. My hair and hands burst into flame, and I snarled low in my throat, trying to calm myself down. I growled, running blindly away, and skidding to a stop in front of a familiar-looking mansion. Then I remembered. That was the mansion that bastard Alucard worked at. _What luck! Now I can…_ I took a step forward…and was swung right back around, my bright orange eyes meeting Valkyrie's angry red ones.

"What the hell!" we said in unison, and she took a deep breath as I scowled and looked away. "You heard what we said, you told us you were going for a walk, and you just "happen" to find yourself here! How stupid do you think I am?!" she snapped, and I wrenched my arm from her grip. "It wasn't on purpose! I'm not stupid enough to go charging in somewhere I don't know!" she laughed harshly. "Not run into trouble?! You do that every damn day!" My temper and hands flared, flickering red flames wreathing them. "SO WHAT?! AT LEAST I CAN TAKE CARE OF MYSELF VAMPIRE!" I bellowed, and she snarled, red eyes glowing. "OH YEAH?! WHAT HAPPENED TO "I'LL NEVER SPEAK OF IT TO ANYONE", YOU REMEMBER THAT?!" I growled, stepping forward so we were nose to nose. "YOU'RE THE ONE IT HAPPENED TO, I THINK I CAN TALK TO YOU ABOUT IT!" I roared, and she jabbed her finger in my face. "YOU'RE SCREAMING SO LOUD I BET MARCUS AND PANDORA CAN HEAR YOU FROM HERE! THAT'S NOT JUST ME IS IT?!"

"SHUT THE HELL UP! I CAN AND WILL BURN YOU TO A CRISP YOU DAMN FAKE-ASS VAMPIRE!" I shouted, and was suddenly knocked back, Val's animalistic, rage-filled face inches from my own. She didn't bother with words, and I seriously doubted she even remembered how to form them in her blood-craze. "SHUT UP!" she roared, shaking me so my head slammed against the concrete. Blood trickled from where I had cut myself on a sharp rock, and her pupils dilated. A trickle of saliva ran out of the corner of her mouth, and it slowly dripped onto the tarmac an inch from my ear. "Don't you _dare_ bite me you freak." I whispered harshly, my orange eyes locking with hers. I could practically see it as her humanity raged against her vamperic nature, finally softening enough so I could safely grab her wrists and push her off. "That was below the belt." She muttered, dusting herself off and giving me a glare. I gritted, my teeth, looking down at my feet. She was right, but I didn't want to admit it. That had been below the belt.

"We just don't want to lose you." She muttered, folding her arms and looking away as an awkward silence descended. I remained stonily silent, glaring my hatred at the defenseless ground. "You're my best friend." She said, quieter, a slight flush coming into her undead cheeks. I scowled, kicking the ground once with a booted heel. "SAY SOMETHING ALREADY!" she bellowed, punching me in the chest, making me stumble back, eyes wide. She had pulled it a little though. I wasn't hurt, just winded. "Listen Val. I may be a human, and you may be a blooded vampire, but we both know I could kill you easily. Don't force me into a rage I'll regret later." I growled, looking up. There was a tiny flicker of relief in her eyes, but it was mixed with a healthy dose of anger. "Oh yeah? How much damage do you think I can do in the meantime?" she snapped, stepping closer so we were almost nose to nose. I flicked my hand open, flames wavering in the center. Her red eyes widened slightly, but she refused to back down, staring into my eyes aggressively as I glared back, both hands and hair starting to fume and spark. Suddenly "BEEEEEEEPPP! BEEP, B-BEEP!" We both jumped, and I saw a car in the driveway we were apparently blocking, a crabby-looking old man leaning out of it and jerking his thumb at us.

Without a word I hurled about three fireballs in his direction, exploding on the lawn around him and shattering the windshield of his car. "Adjutor…" Valkyrie sighed, shaking her head as he whitened and scrambled out, looking at his car in horror. A woman got out of the back, and I gulped. This woman radiated "I'm-going-to-kill-you" energy like the sun radiated heat. My jaw dropped as she yanked out a pistol, aiming it for our faces and glaring. "She wouldn't…" Val said weakly, shaking her head rapidly and backing away. A bullet pinged off of the tarmac by our feet, and Valkyrie jumped like a cat, landing a few feet away and hissing in fear. "That's silver!" she warned me, panic lighting her eyes. "OY! WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE, SHOOTING AT MY FRIEND LIKE THAT?! THAT'S IT, I'M GONNA BURN YOUR FANCY-ASS CAR TO ASHES!" I screamed at her, igniting my entire body as she gaped, grip on the pistol wavering.

I ran for the damn car, jumping on the hood and pushing both hands through it, finding the piston engine and shooting some sparks into it, jumping off and landing on the grass, feeling it crackle and burn beneath me as the car suddenly blew in a shower of sparks and metal. "AND SERVES YOU RIGHT!" I shouted, dousing myself and glaring at her viciously. My arm was grabbed, and Valkyrie quickly started dragging me away, panic lighting in her eyes. "Something powerful's coming this way, MOVE IT!" she shrieked, letting go and starting to use her vampire speed as I followed, glancing back to see this tall freak in red approach the burning vehicle. _Well, so much for a walk…Marcus is going to kill me._

_Marcus's POV:_

"A walk. That was all you were going to do. Just, wander around; let the fresh air clear your head. Maybe chuck a few stones at passing civilians." I said patiently, tapping my finger on the computer desk as Adjutor and Valkyrie nodded sheepishly. "Instead Valkyrie has to go after you to prevent you from storming the mansion and doing god-knows-what, has another of your strange BFF fights, and then gets interrupted by an old man and a young woman in a high-end car, which Adjutor promptly signed with several fireballs." I added calmly, lacing my fingers together and sighing. They nodded again. "And not only does the woman set upon poor, defenseless Valkyrie with silver bullets, _you_ jumped the car, and rigged the engine to explode with one of your spark-bombs. It went off, blowing the car sky-high, and then you both ran off at the approach of a tall, powerful vampire in a scarlet cloak. Have I summed up the sordid story of your afternoon so far?"

They both nodded sheepishly again. "What have I ever done to deserve this…" I moaned, slamming my head into the desk with a thunk as Adjutor growled impatiently. "Sorry Marcus, it was an accident, I didn't mean to vamp out…" Valkyrie muttered, shuffling her feet and avoiding my stern gaze. "What? It's not like we can't just run away if we need to." Adjutor said, sprawling in Pandora's chair and kicking her feet up on the desk. I growled, clutching my forehead to ease the incoming migraine. "No, we can't, because I scheduled a formal interview with the lady in charge of the organization to complain about her gunman's sad lack of accuracy." I snarled, and they both gulped. "After we burned her car? I think she might be a little…not happy to see us." Valkyrie said sheepishly, and I sighed. "I told her it would be four, and four it will be. Just try to keep in the back, and Adjutor, if so much as a smoke alarm blares I'm going to send you to the docks for aquatic mataince. Don't think I won't." I snapped as she rose to her feet, looking angry and stunned.

_Integra's POV:  
_

"Show them in…" I moaned, rubbing my forehead. The destruction of my father's car had left me in a sour mood all day yesterday, and I was now being forced to meet with four of the small-potatoes agents patrolling the streets. They worked for the government loosely, at least, that was where they collected their paycheck, as long as no freaks were reported in the areas they were supposed to patrol, but god forbid one of them actually follow the rules of law and order… Four young adults stepped in, all slightly younger than me but otherwise of varying ages. The youngest looked to be a flame-haired, almost _literally_ female, one who, with her many piercings, I took an immediate wariness to. She also reminded me unpleasantly of the incident with my car. The next youngest looked to be a silvery-haired female, looking almost ethereal with her china-blue eyes and silver-blonde skin. She was wearing a neat, almost feminine suit, one that complemented her pale skin tone nicely. The next oldest was a raven-haired, dark-glasses wearing beauty, one who I could easily tell wasn't human. It was how she moved, exaggeratedly slow, as if the very air was made out of china she feared to break. She was also the tallest of the group, and the one in darkest clothes.

The last was the only male, and his sharp brown eyes and sandy ginger hair looked out of place in the line of females. All in all, they represented a line of differences, human and not, blue, brown, red, and yellow-white combining and merging. A most interesting group, but I had more to do than ogle them. "So? What was it?" I snapped, leaning back to tap my fingers on the wood of my desk impatiently. "Yesterday, one of your agents attacked a family of five vampires. Why?" the boy said, sounding dead serious as the females around him glared at me, all except for the pale-haired girl, who was shifting nervously as if the room was uncomfortably hot. "Why…" I repeated slowly, and all four nodded. "Because it is the sworn duty of this organization to _eliminate_ all threats to the Church and Crown." I said simply, lighting a cigar as the non-human wrinkled her nose. "What if they were not threats to the "Church and Crown"?" The boy said, finger-quoting "church and crown". I stared at him, then levelly put my cigar down and laced my hands together.

"They are vampires. They are satanic threats and must be eliminated." I said, my voice dangerously soft. "And yet these so-called threats, for no other reason than wanting to help, took in headhunters, knowing full well they were headhunters, and sheltered them for no other reason than to get enough pay to feed themselves. Five, Dame Hellsing." The non-human said, voice equally soft as she leaned forward. "Did you even know that? Five, one husband and wife, and their three children. Your man almost shot them to undeath. To the adults he was somewhat merciful, he shot them cleanly at least. But the children? I won't butter my words Dame Hellsing. Two twin teenage males, and one little girl. Your man shot a six-year old girl as she was running from her room to help her parents. And you seem surprised we are here, asking for justice." She finished almost nose to nose with me, words heavy with menace. "They are vampires, not humans. They don't form families and they don't love their own. They do not love at all." I said thickly, trying to shove the image away.

They all snorted, almost in unison. "So sayeth the hunter. The prey does not love, the prey does not form bonds. This maketh it easier to part the head from the shoulders, does it not?" the silver-blonde said softly, putting a hand over her heart. I growled. "All of you, I want you to get to the point and get out." I said sharply, and the boy sighed. "Simply this madam. We want you to look before you leap. I won't have another family almost murdered in their own home, inhuman or not." He said, standing with his entourage. The flame-haired female walked up to me, placed a hand on my desk. "This is for that little girl who got her bones blown out. Remember us, _Sir Hellsing_." She snarled, placing a hand on my desk as it began to smoke and fizzle. "Incendium!" the raven-haired female said sharply from outside, and the girl removed her hand, leaving a charred imprint on my desk as she walked out with the others. I stared at the desk, then at the door, then back at my desk. "Alucard?" I called, my eyes not leaving the fine-boned handprint.

He phased in. "Have some interesting visitors master?" he purred, seeing the mark as well. "Yes. Four of the small-term hunters came in and reprimanded me for calling you out on your previous mission. They said you didn't kill them, and that we had targeted an "innocent" family." I said numbly, and he snorted. "I wondered why I smelled FREAK. Let me go after it master?" My head whipped up as the words processed. "A FREAK? Well…" the stubborn image of the little girl once again invaded my head, and I brushed it away. "Yes. Search and Destroy." I almost whispered the command, and he chuckled, vanishing in the blink of an eye as I put my head in my hands.

_Valkyrie's POV:_

Adjutor joined us, scowling as we lead her downstairs, to where we were once again subjected to body checks before being gently shoved out the front door. "I hated it. Every second. She just sat there, like she was in the right and lectured us on monsters when Sasha's still torn up from the buckshot-" she hissed almost as soon as the doors closed, hair gently steaming. I carefully placed a hand on her shoulder. "Calm down Adjutor. She's just prejudiced, like the whole big cooperation lot. They don't understand it isn't all criminals and murderers in the supernatural community." I said firmly, and she scowled and nodded. "I still wanna kick her ass." She grumbled, shoving her hands in her pockets as we tromped out the gates, not having bothered to call a cab. I twitched, feeling that overwhelming sensation of power coming from behind us. "Guys, the vampire's-" A bullet just barely grazed my shoulder, and I yelped, turning and letting my glasses fall to reveal my incriminatingly red eyes.

The scary man in red was grinning at us, barely feet away, smoking silver gun aimed for my heart. "Aren't you a resilient little FREAK. Most dissolve on impact." He said casually, ignoring the others, who all stepped in front of me. "Oy! Piss off, you undead bastard!" Adjutor shouted, letting her body ignite as he raised an eyebrow. "Leave her alone." Pandora added, stepping forward slightly. Marcus scowled, flipping the cover on his holster and palming his small gun. "Vampire Alucard?" The man grinned wider and nodded once. "Sir Integra Hellsing will not be pleased you are attacking civilians. Stand down." He ordered, bringing it up and clicking the hammer back. His, Alucard's, grin widened further. "We eliminate all vampires, especially and including chipped ones such as your friend over there." He said in his deep voice, I growled, instinctively pushing my shirt up to cover the tiny scar on my collarbone. "Oh yeah? Well she helps you do your job, so leave us alone!" Adjutor snarled, stepping forward as the grass underneath her crackled and burned, smoke wafting up into the air.

His answer was a bullet that would've taken out my face had I not ducked and pushed the others out of the way. The others scattered as we started weaving around each other, the others guarding me. He occasionally sent a round of silver towards my feet, but we could all tell he was just playing with us. Suddenly Adjutor lost her temper and jumped him, flames spreading outward as she grabbed his neck and wrapped her legs around his own, igniting him and waiting as flames consumed his body. She stood up as the others all breathed sighs of relief, spitting on the ashes contemptuously. Suddenly I felt a stirring of power as the pile began to meld back together, and Adjutor's mouth dropped open, her flames going out in her shock. "MOVE!" I shouted, tackling her out of the way as he reformed, and choking as the bullet meant for her chest hit my stomach.

I rolled, coughing up blood as Adjutor and the others formed a protective screen around me. Her body reignited as Marcus raised his gun and Pandora laid a hand on my shoulder. I placed my own palm over the bleeding wound, finding the bite of silver and trying to draw it out. Alucard laughed. "Go on, fight! I can kill her or you all; it really doesn't matter to me. Although I must say, it is more fun picking you off one by one…" he purred, smirking at us as I yelped and took my hand away from the wound, the spent round dropping from my side as flesh began painfully re-knitting itself. Alucard's eyes narrowed. "Regeneration? From a FREAK? Interesting…" he murmured, scanning me absently as I uttered a weak snarl. The grass under my hands suddenly turned to fine, gritty grey ash, and Pandora immediately yanked her hand away from my shoulder, signaling the others to back away. Alucard's eyes narrowed as I coughed out some blood, spitting it on the grass and wiping my mouth with the back of my hand as he raised his gun. "Time to die." He purred, and I saw his finger twitch on the trigger.

The silver hit bare earth as I was gone once more, and he turned, elbow cracking sharply into my jaw as I staggered back, grabbing his wrist and hanging on for dear life as the gun blasted again and searing pain hit my ribs. His eyes went wide, and I felt his presence flicker and fade as his body turned to ash, the fine particles drifting gently in the air as I gasped, feeling the sting of silver deep within my body as the grass under my hands once again turned to grey dust. Slowly, slowly I brought myself under control, softly touching a leaf and nodding as it was unharmed, standing and limping over to the others, coughing slightly. "You guys okay…?" I managed to choke, collapsing as Adjutor grabbed me under the arm and lifted me to my feet, gasping with pain as the bullet began slowly pushing out once more. "We're all fine." Pandora said softly, catching the bullet as it dropped from my side and gently cupping the wound as the pain eased and the blood stopped flowing. "We need to move…I don't think even _that_'ll keep him down for long…" I panted softly, leaning against Adjutor's shoulder as Marcus nodded grimly, grabbing my other arm as I was brought to my feet. Pandora and I twitched at the same time, and I turned, stumbling away from the others as Pandora unsheathed her knife, eyes darting around as the fine mist of ashes coalesced before us.


	8. Pura Anderson

_**The Purifier**_

"Father, is this really necessary?" I said, balancing effortlessly on the thin string, hundreds of feet above the training yard. "My own wee lass is going to do things the traditional way, and that means passing the test. Just o' cause you're my daughter don't mean you get a free pass." Father growled, peering up at me sternly. "But this is so EASY..." I whined, back flipping across the wire and landing neatly on the platform. He sighed. "I know lass. But we've got to do things by tradition, no short cuts. They..." I sighed loudly. "_Short cuts may be shorter for a moment, but they are longer in the main._ I know, I know. But this is just so POINTLESS." He raised an eyebrow as I patted back down, landing silently on the packed dirt. "Are you saying the century-long, holy and pure, absolute highest test o' priesthood is POINTLESS? Tha' ain't my daughter." I dropped to one knee beside him. "Father! Please forgive me; I knew not what I was saying. I beg your absolution and forgiveness." I pleaded; panic making my heart beat faster. He chuckled and rested a hand on my head. "Now, now, my little lass. Don't be fretting yourself overmuch. I be proud to have sired such a faithful and strong little daughter. May the Lord Jesus Christ bless you for all your days." I felt a warm burst of pride. "Amen." we said together, and he laughed and kissed my forehead. "Now away with ye! Go show those who follow the Lord what Iscariot can do!" I giggled and ran off, waving to him as I went. "I'll make you proud Father!" I called, and he waved back. "You already have, my little lass!"

_Anderson's POV:_

I shifted nervously in my seat. All the events of my lass's sixteen years had been leading up to this moment. Never had I been so nervous. I prayed silently for the Lord to smile upon my daughter and let her shine in the field like her mother had shown so many years ago. A slight stinging wetness in the corner of my eye was quickly wiped away. Eve had been strong, and so faithful. We had both prayed for our little child to make it into the world unharmed, but we never imagined Eve was the one who needed praying for. A cold, dark Midwinter's night she was born wailing into the world, eyes scrunched up and mouth agape. My beautiful Eve had time to hold her, and utter a quick sentence: "May the Lord bless you as much as he has blessed me." before her eyes slid closed and her grip relaxed, blood loss and pain finally taking its toll. So my little lass never knew her mother, instead spending her time with me. I remembered well the first time she had ever held a weapon...

_"Daddy! What's this?" Pura held up a bayonet, and I nearly tripped over my coat to take it away. "Careful wee lass! These are sharp!" She reached out for them anyway, fingers grazing the shiny steel edge. "Can I have one?" I snatched it away, shaking my head frantically. "NO! You'll hurt yourself, and besides, these are hunter's tools." She blinked up at me, head cocked in confusion. Then her face brightened. "Then I'll grow up to be a hunter, just like you!" she chirped, beaming._

I smiled proudly. My Pura stuck through thick and thin to see a promise fulfilled, and now here she was, standing on the field years before her time. My smile fell. Certainly she would not be KILLED, but my little lass could be very seriously hurt if she did not do well. The physical pain would be nothing to her however, compared to the mental agony of knowing she had made a fool of herself, and more importantly, me, her father, shaming her family name before so many. In my mind, that was one of my little lass's few faults. She was fiercely proud of being my daughter, and would half-kill herself trying to please me, and often had. Her faith to me was stronger and blinder than her own faith for God, a fact that made me uneasy some nights. But she was strong, and her faith was strong as well. A voice behind me broke me out of my reverie. "Well, if it isn't the Judas Priest. Why are you here, when you never watch the trials?" I turned, seeing the heathen monster leaning over me, grinning. I scowled deeply; displeased he had shown his face. "I am here for personal reasons vampire, so keep your mouth shut." I growled, turning away from him again. He chuckled behind me. "Master is attending too. I wonder which contestant is so very special to have both such notorious event dodgers show up at the same time?" I ignored him. My lass was in danger enough as it was being my daughter, having Hellsing target her was even worse.

_Pura's POV:_

I inhaled and exhaled slowly, calming myself. Father always said it was bad to rush into battle excited, like most of the others were doing, hoping around and boasting of their skills. I knew I would pass this test. I was not being over-confident or cocky, it was simply a matter of will. I was going to pass this, and that was the end of the matter. Failure was simply not an option. I took a deep breath, stepping out into the arena, as all the others had done before me.

_3rd Person POV:_

"And our last contestant of the day. The Vatican's finest trainee, Pura Anderson!" the crowd cheered for a few seconds, and up in the stands, Anderson was sweating a little. Alucard was chuckling, gazing admiringly at the slim figure standing in the middle of the ring. "Keep your hands off her!" Anderson snarled quietly, and his smirk broadened. Finally his nemesis had sired an heir to fight him in the years to come. He was beginning to think he was eunuch or something. "Is this why the Paladin is watching? To see his beloved daughter?" Alucard taunted, licking his lips. "Ye stay away from her vampire. She ain't part of our feud." Anderson snarled, fear for his little girl making his heart pound. Alucard chuckled, ignoring him. "Why of course she is. Your blood runs through her veins, an enemy worthy of my attention. She will be an excellent replacement for you when I grow tired of our endless games." he purred, eyes scanning Pura as she ran across the hard packed earth, ducking and dodging traps and pits. A woman with knife straps criss-crossing her body stood before her, not moving. That was the drill. You get as far as you can, dodging human and mechanical traps and foes, and the judges measure by that. Anderson and Pura both did not doubt she would reach the very end easily.

She did not falter, streaking right for the woman, who had quickly drawn her knifes. She jumped, spinning in the air to get more force behind her kick, impacting her opponent square in the jaw, laying her flat out on the ground. She rolled, picking herself up and continuing without stopping or slacking her pace. Anderson sighed quietly in relief when Alucard said nothing. Pura kept running, ignoring the woman as she staggered to her feet and shook her head, dazed. She did the same thing to her next three opponents, but changed her style when faced with a gunman. Now Alucard leaned forward, interested. She slid a hand inside her coat, and then spun, four needle-like shards arrowing straight for the man's face. He ducked one, shooting the other three out of the air calmly as she approached, and then aiming his gun at her face. She jumped up, and suddenly his eyes rolled back in his head and he collapsed, her body clearing his head as he crumpled to the ground, tiny dart embedded in his trigger finger.

"Tha's my clever little lass." Anderson murmured, smiling proudly. Alucard chuckled in delight, already itching to take this girl and fight her to the death to see what she was REALLY made of. She flew through the course, pausing at the pair of final opponents. Cigarette smoke drifted up from the mouth of the first as they flicked the stub onto the ground, drawing twin pistols in an extension of the same movement. The second bowed her head, unsheathing her sword in the blink of an eye and taking a ready stance. Pura flexed her fingers, crouching as the others did the same, waiting. "Don't over think it lass..." Anderson whispered, fingers digging into the arms of his seat. In a flash of movement, she was nose to nose with Yumie, swerving to use her as a shield to block Heinkel's aim. Sparks flew from Yumie's katana and Pura's knives, and a bullet occasionally pinged past their heads as Heinkel got a clear shot. Pura slammed the hilt of her dagger into Yumie's jaw, making her stagger, and quickly flipped past her, landing inches from Heinkel. She brought her guns up, but in close quarters Pura had the advantage and grabbed her wrists, yanking both pistols out of her hands and pelting away.

The crowd roared approval, and Anderson grinned. Heinkel reached inside her coat, and there was a hush as she brought out an extra pistol, cocking it and aiming for Pura's legs. At the same moment she fired Pura spun, firing a bullet at the exact same second. There was a clank and she turned, streaking away again as Heinkel picked up something from the ground. Two bullets, rammed together at such a high speed they fused. Pura had shot her bullet out from the air with deadly accuracy, on the run, without pausing. Pura thudded on, reaching and breaking the finish line, as well as all Iscariot records.

_Pura's POV:_

I had been right. It was so easy, except for Yumie and Heinkel, because they were not only the finest agents the Vatican had, (aside from father of course) they were old family friends. But it was fast and I almost felt they went easy on me. Now I was standing in front of Bishop Maxwell's front door, sweating slightly from nervousness. "Come in." a male voice called, and I stepped in, trying to appear calm and focused. Bishop Maxwell sat in front of me in a polished desk, hands clasped atop it. One eyebrow was raised as I sat down. "Well, it appears not only is the Vatican's finest trainee the best fighter I have seen, she is also the most beautiful." I blushed, fiddling with my fluffy blond hair. "You flatter me sir, I'm not all that pretty." I mumbled, fidgeting. He chuckled. "I fear we must agree to disagree. Now on to your report. I see you have excelled in every way possible, and broken the record for furthest gotten in least time, as well as fastest disarmament for hardest opponents and least amount of effort wasted on the lesser opponents. You do us credit. The Vatican will benefit from one with such high skills. For that reason, I am promoting you to guard His Holiness, the Pope."

I gaped at him silently, then realized he was waiting for me to say something. I took a deep, slow breath. "Sir, I am honored and flattered you take such high regard for my skills. But I feel I must decline." Both his eyebrows rose. I hurried to explain. "I am young. This will be my first job. I WILL make mistakes, regardless of my skill, and I am inexperienced in the field. I do not want my mistakes to be possibly fatal to His Holiness himself." He nodded slowly. "Yes, that seems true. Your father was right, you are not one to be tempted by power and riches if it does not benefit others. Very well, you shall be unattached for the moment. Collect your things from Yumiko and Heinkel and report for duty in the morning." I nodded, bowing to him and backing out of the office.

_3rd Person POV:_

Alucard watched through slitted eyes as the Paladin paced back and forth. Suddenly there was a joyful shriek, and a young girl, most likely Pura, hurled herself into his arms. He swung her up, both of them laughing. Pura started babbling to him, rapidly slipping into the Latin she was taught before English in her excitement. "_Father! Father, Bishop Maxwell said I could've guarded the Pope! I passed, father I passed! And look what Heinkel and Yumie gave me!_" She pulled away, showing him her new coat. Unlike Yumiko, she choose to wear the masculine habit, in an exact replica of her father's, but slightly smaller, accounting for her smaller body. "_It's just like yours!_" He ruffled her hair, and Alucard took the chance they provided, studying his future enemy. Pura had light, fluffy blond hair, floating around her head and neck like a halo, and a slim, strong body. Her eyes were bright green, after her father's, and she wore a pair of exercise pants and a T-shirt under the coat, no sheaths. She didn't look very much like a top Vatican assassin. Alucard coughed, getting her and Anderson's attention. She blinked. This man was new to her. His long red coat was unlike the priest robes she was used to, and his huge red hat was alien as well. His eyes were hidden behind bright orange lenses, and under the coat he was impeccably attired in a black suit. His black hair was messy and short, and his face, what was visible, was aristocratic and stern.

"_Father-_" she whispered in Latin, intentionally this time. "_-who is this?_" Anderson scowled at him. Alucard bowed, smirking. "My name is Alucard, a servant of Sir Integra Fairbrook Wingates Hellsing. I'm a vampire, and an old...friend...of your father's." His grin widened when he said "friend". Pura slid one hand inside her coat. "You work for Hellsing?" she asked, and he chuckled and nodded. Her casual movement might have escaped notice for a human, but for him it was clearly outlined. "Then..." she flung her hand towards him, and bright, needle-like shards flew towards his face. He pulled the Casull out and shot them out of the air easily, but suddenly there was a slight stinging pain in his stomach. He looked down to see a very large silver spike, most likely blessed, sticking out of his heart. He raised an eyebrow, impressed. Pura had made sure to make an "unobtrusive" movement with one hand, but had slid her other hand inconspicuously and hurled the stake at the same instant. Very, very clever.

"Well done girl. I'm impressed." he said, tipping his hat to her as he yanked the stake out. He tossed it back, and she caught it, staring numbly at him. "You were staked through the heart with blessed silver. How are you not dead?" she whispered in horror, and he smirked at her. He phased very close to the Iscariot agents and bowed, kissing Pura's hand in an old-fashioned courtly gesture. "I am like no vampire walking this earth, Pura Anderson. I was right, you will make an excellent replacement for your father in the years to come." he purred, letting go. Anderson gritted his teeth, one eye twitching as he yanked Pura away. "Dinnae touch my daughter vampire, or treaty or no treaty I will cut you to bloody shreds. She ain't part o' this." he snarled, placing a hand on her head in a protective and possessive gesture. She simply stared at Alucard in shock, pressing closer to her father like he would shield her from this threat. Alucard grinned. "She is a part of this. The heir to your battle, one that you will never win. Don't try to keep her from me, I won't let you." he warned, phasing away. Pura whimpered, pressing her face to her father's chest as he stroked her hair. "Don't be worrying about him lass. He's a powerful vampire to be sure, but there's no such thing as an immortal. I'll kill him sometime, before he'll ever be able to hurt you." he said soothingly, leading her back to the small house they shared.

_***Time Skip***_

Alucard sat on the windowsill, watching the female figure in the room. His future enemy. She needed to be studied from each and every angle. He needed to know how to break her, devastate her, crush her heart and steal her soul. She should at least TRY to do the same to him, not that he'd let her, or that he had any weaknesses to begin with. But she was sleeping soundly, soothed by her father's presence. Foolish child. He couldn't protect her from the No-Life-King. Alucard phased in, seeing her barren room, devoid of furniture, books, or anything except a mirror, a table, and a bible on the table. No clues there. He approached her bed, seeing her previously tense body relaxed in sleep. A cold finger touched her head, and she frowned and twitched.

Memories surged through him, of training, of fighting, of learning. Her whole life was focused on following in her father's footsteps, no other wishes, no other hopes or dreams. How pathetic. He frowned at her vulnerable, unconscious form. It would be so easy to snap her neck, to drain her dry, to steal her away, to shoot her to death, to even make her scream as he tortured her. Anderson would arrive too late to stop him. And she would know that in her last moments, that her father had failed to protect her. It would be such sweet torment for them both...but that would spoil the game. His nemesis needed time to grow and develop before he killed her. With that in mind he turned and left.

_Pura's POV:_

"Amen!" Father shouted, slicing the freak to dust. I was in reserve for this mission, just a practice sort of thing, but I knew I was going to fight soon. I could feel it in my bones. A ghoul staggered towards me and I easily decapitated it with a quiet whisper of "Amen". I preferred knives to bayonets, but the basic design was the same, although my blades were all a bit smaller and shorter. It collapsed into dust with a moan, and I sighed, wanting a more interesting fight. Little did I know I was going to get my wish, and more.

_3rd Person's POV:_

Anderson paused in his massacre. Something was not right. Pura slid into an aggressive stance, also wary. Suddenly gunfire sprayed out of the night, and the two Andersons hit the ground calmly. Ghouls staggered out of the darkness, in heavy armor and with huge hand-held cannons. Anderson hissed in annoyance and Pura's eyes widened. They both got slowly to their feet and readied their weapons as the ghoul army stumbled in their direction. "Lass, something ain't right with this." Anderson hissed quietly, and she nodded. "So that's why I be sending you somewhere safe for a moment. I'll join you once I know what's what." Bible pages started swirling around Pura as she sputtered in shock. "Father! It isn't safe for you to be alone!" she whispered fiercely as her outline started to waver. "I dinnae care for me own safety. I gotta protect my little lass at all costs, no matter what." he said quietly as she glowed, starting to vanish. "Father!" Her shade screamed desperately as it vanished. "Stay safe, my little lass. I'll always be proud of you." he growled, readying his bayonets for battle.

Gunfire burst all around him, but not for nothing was Father Anderson the best of the best the Vatican could offer. He spun and slashed, cutting down his enemies in a wave of holy wrath, until there was only settling dust and quiet moans as the last of the ghouls dissolved. But he still waited. The masters had yet to come. A huge blow to the back of his head nearly knocked him out, but he struggled to his feet, defending himself from more blows. But even Paladin Alexander Anderson could be beaten by a larger force, as he found to his cost. Five minutes later showed him unconscious in the dust, with Nazi vampires crouching all around him. "Excellent vork men. Now Doc can start on our regenerative powers." One said, grinning as they started to haul him away. "Vhat about the little _fräulein_, ya?" another asked, and he cuffed him over the head. "She ist all alone and vulnerable. We vill find her soon enough." the first snarled, and the others all edged away.

_Pura's POV:_

A flash of light burst before my eyes, and I gasped, sucking in air. As soon as the bible pages started to whizz me away, I instinctively held my breath and so arrived a little gasping. I looked around, seeing nothing familiar, and started walking back to where I knew father to be. When I got there something inside me broke with a nearly audible snap. There was blood. A lot of blood. Vampires and ghouls didn't bleed. And none of the bayonets scattering the ground were bloody. That meant...that meant... "Father!" I screamed, trying to find him by voice alone. I took a deep breath to try and call again, but something stopped me. Father never announced his presence like that if he was unsure of the territory. I let it out silently and kneeled to study the marks in the dirt. After a few moments, the picture became clear. Father had been kidnapped by vampires. I gritted my teeth, trying to figure out what to do now. It wasn't exactly preferable, but I did have one other option if I didn't want to do this alone.

_3rd Person POV:_

Pura Anderson walked up the steps of the Hellsing Manor. An armed guard approached her, but she waved him off fairly easily by announcing her name. A Harkonnen blast narrowly missed her shoulder as she spun in place, crouching on the ground and hissing at the blond figure guarding the door. "Move it vampire!" she snarled, vaulting over Seras's head and slamming a booted foot into her nose. She wobbled and collapsed, and Pura continued on. "Hold it!" Captain Bernadette shouted, shouldering a rifle. Pura sighed and flipped onto the wall, running up it and dodging the Wild Geese's bullets. She cleared them as well, tumbling in a controlled fall through Integra's office door. She was instantly on her feet and dodging the bullets from Integra's pistol and Alucard's Casull, whipping her foot around and knocking the former from Integra's hand and pulling her into a chokehold, holding her in front of her in a body shield against Alucard and the others, all of whom had managed to get into the office. "Is this how you always welcome visitors?" she asked innocently, blowing a bit of her fluffy hair away from her face.

Integra snarled wordlessly, trying to stomp on her foot and make her let go. Pura didn't even flinch. "Let her go!" Seras snarled, flexing her hands. Pura sighed. "I'm afraid I can't do that quite yet." A knife was digging into Integra's throat, making sure nobody tried anything. "I know some of you are very well-trained in the art of killing, so you know what will happen if she moves. I just need you to listen." Pura pleaded, shifting slightly. Alucard snorted. "You have a woeful understanding of war. The instant we see an opening you will die for touching my master." he hissed, and Pura sighed. "My father's been kidnapped, on a mission only the Vatican was supposed to know about. I think we have a mole, so you're the only people I would marginally trust helping me get him back. He wasn't killed, which makes me think they need him for something, something very big for them willing to risk kidnapping a top Vatican agent. I would imagine you'd be interested in what they are doing, and that's a very good reason to help me. That's it, that's all, that's why I'm here." she said calmly, letting go of Integra and gently pushing her towards the others. Alucard caught her, and Integra glared at Pura.

She was standing motionless, waiting for their decision. If they moved to kill her there could be no way that she could ever stop the blow in time. She was putting her life in their hands. Her eyes bored into each of theirs in turn, patiently asking them with her gaze. "What would you gain from this?" Integra finally asked, and Pura's face lit up. She hastily pulled it into a neutral mask, but excitement still shone in her eyes. "I would get my father back Sir. He's the only one I ever had." she said softly, scuffling her feet. She nodded slowly. "I suppose an arrangement could be made." she said stiffly, and Pura moved forward suddenly, stopping as all the guns in the room were aimed at her. She gingerly hugged Integra, making sure the others could clearly see she was not attempting to kill her or anything. Seras clicked the safety on her gun back on, Captain Pip holstered his pistol, and Alucard lowered the Casull. Pura let go of Integra, smiling brightly at her. "Right then. Now what do we do?" she said cheerfully, looking expectantly at them. Integra raised an eyebrow and Alucard smirked. "You don't have any kind of plan?" he asked her sarcastically, and she shook her head.

"Uh, no. Get help from Hellsing, go get father. That's about as much planning as I've done." she said sheepishly, shrugging. Seras snickered and she glared at her defensively. "We'll see in the morning." Integra said wearily, rubbing her forehead. "Seras, show her to a room. Alucard, I want a word with you." Seras shoved Pura out, glancing curiously at her two masters. The door swung closed, and Integra began. "Teach her a lesson for dropping in on me like that. Nothing fatal or injurious, we need her tomorrow. But make her regret this." He grinned and phased away, and she sighed and trudged back to her room so she could sleep as well. Alucard waited a few hours until the entire house was silent, and walked out of the wall by Pura's bed. She was sleeping badly, twitching at every loud creak the house made. He grinned, trailing a finger lightly down her side, chuckling as she spasmed all over. "What a lovely picture you make, sleeping sound and helplessly..." he crooned to her, tracing her face with a gloved finger, barely touching her skin. Her face scrunched up and she growled in her sleep, turning over, away from whatever fly-like THING that was brushing her face. He chuckled darkly and stroked her back, grinning evilly. "Let's see just what you fear..." he cooed in her ear, sliding both hands around her shoulders. She whimpered and tried to edge away from him, but his grip was like iron.

Images danced in front of her closed eyelids, making her flinch away. Her father's voice thundered in her ears, shouting that she was an embarrassment, a heretic, a heathen, and other worse things. She whined, struggling with her fear and trying to fight the images and sounds pounding into her senses. "Give in..." Alucard whispered in her ear, cold breath sending shivers down her spine. She shook her head, still fighting. He growled in annoyance and delved deeper into her brain, shoving further into her mind. An Alucard appeared before her, making her back up fearfully. She had no blessed silver, no stakes, no nothing. He pinned her to a wall, smirking. "You are so weak, so helpless against me..." he crooned, nuzzling her neck. She whimpered and flinched away, straining against his hold. "You are nothing. Your father merely took pity on you, and now look. You got him kidnapped." he purred, nibbling her skin as she panted in fear and tried to lean away.

"Why do you resist me? I always get what I want in the end, and no one can keep me from it. I want YOU, I want your skills to clash against my own. I want to beat you and leave you broken and bleeding in the dust, cringing before my wrath." he whispered against her skin, licking her gently before biting down. She gave a gasping scream as his teeth sliced into her neck, blinding pain shooting into her body. She writhed and struggled, panting as he slowly sucked her blood, slumping against him as her vision faded into blackness. He let go, bloodied mouth grinning at her defeated form. His breath washed across her face, metallic, old blood and her freshly spilled new blood featuring prominently. He nuzzled her cheek, licking her chin gently. Her eyes slid open, and he chuckled. "I won't kill you yet. There is no fun in merely crushing an opponent to the dust. I will break you, devastate you, smash your heart and snuff out your soul. You will never escape me." he whispered tenderly, kissing her eyelids closed and letting go. She sagged on the invisible ground, wheezing as he backed away. Her eyes burned with hatred as she clenched her fists in the dirt, propping herself up on her elbows.

"I will NEVER submit to you." she hissed, eyes blazing as she panted, one hand on her wound. His boot carelessly turned her over, showing him her stomach. "You have no choice. You are my new enemy, a replacement for your inept father when I grow tired of him and destroy him. I will do the same to you, someday. Submission to me is your destiny, your birthright, your inheritance. You too will be crushed under my heel when I grow tired of your games." he purred, cupping her cheek with one hand and stroking her with a thumb. She hissed, blind rage shooing through her. He chuckled. "Yes, yes, get MAD little human! Get mad, get mad, let the darkness swallow you up as you attempt to kill your enemy!" he encouraged her, gripping her chin tighter until the "caress" turned into a painful vise on her bones and skin. She glared up at him, not submitting even an iota. "Let go you bastard." She croaked, and he scowled, lifting her up, above his head.

His grip shifted subtly so now he was choking her, but she refused him even now, not gasping or struggling. "Say pretty please, little Catholic." He purred, swinging her slightly. Her jade eyes opened, glaring into his crimson red ones. "Put me down. NOW." She snarled, choking off as his grip lazily tightened. "You didn't say please…" he pouted, tilting his head as he waited for her next response. She closed her eyes, ignoring him. He slipped deeper into her conscious mind, and smirked. _This is all just some twisted dream. I can't be hurt for real. Just ignore everything._ She thought to herself, and to mock that, he pulled all the way out of her mind, grinning and sending her into a deeper sleep as he mimicked the grip his double had on her, squeezing with just enough pressure to place some bruises on her skin before letting go. _See if THAT's a dream little Papist._ He chuckled to himself, vanishing.

_Pura's POV:_

I awoke with a gasp, my hands instinctively going to my neck, where the skin was tender and hot. I jumped out of the admittedly soft bed the woman vampire had given me and raced to the bathroom, pulling down my shirt to see red, bruised skin, faintly shaped like fingers. My mind shut down, and I stared numbly at my reflection. Was that all real? I patted my neck down, but didn't feel a bite mark. Strange…maybe it was just me. With one last uncertain look in the mirror I began preparing for the day, brushing my hair and teeth and straightening the clothes I had slept in. I opened the door silently, walking downstairs. My ears caught a whisper of movement, and I ducked, seeing something red blur past my face. I caught his arm, spinning and wrenching at just the right answer, rewarded with the crack of broken bone. Alucard grinned at me over my shoulder, his broken arm dangling limply in my hands. "Good_ morning_…Papist." He purred, and I snorted, letting go as he twisted his arm back into place. I stalked off, completely ignoring him as he trailed after me like a lost puppy.

"I'm sure your master has something for you to do. Go away." I finally snapped, flipping him the bird before turning a corner and finding myself in the kitchen. He grinned, kicking his legs up on the table as I gritted my teeth, grabbing a fruit and some slices of bread and sitting down across from him, cursing the lack of other seats. His grin widened as I glared at him once before eating, taking my temper out on the food instead of him, crunching a little more than needed on the apple and picking the crust off the bread before slapping some butter on it and munching silently. "Somebody's not a morning person." He commented to me, and I eloquently shoved him off his seat, not expecting him to fall off and mildly surprised when he thunked to the ground, smirk gone. "Bugger off vampire." I growled, stomping over to the sink and dumping my plates. "Is that any way to treat your partner?" he chuckled, sitting up and grinning at me wolfishly.

"I'm pretty sure I would have noticed if I woke up in hell this morning. Pull the other one." I snapped over my shoulder, scrubbing the plate I had used. He sighed, shaking his head. "I wasn't exactly thrilled either. It seems my fledgling needs more field experience and Integra wants to keep an eye on you. So here I am. Of course, I can keep more things than my eye on you, if you so wish…" The last sentence was purred inches from my shoulder, and his hands traced up my hips. My only response was an elbow to the gut and a backwards kick to the groin, shoving him away from me. "I believe there's an entire market out there if I wish to sell my body, you damned monster. If I want a lecherous pig, I can find one without your so-called "help". Hands off." I hissed, one hand on my hips as I turned, glaring up at him as he watched me silently, not showing any outward sign of pain. His face suddenly split in another grin, and he bowed, motioning towards the door that led to the hallway. "I believe our transport is this way, my _partner_. This is going to be fun." He said cheerfully, straightening and walking off in the direction he had indicated with a spring in his step.

I growled after him, rubbing my hips where his hands had been as if to cleanse the lingering sensation of fingertips. Eventually I followed, seeing Integra standing beside the entrance. "From your expression he's already told you." She said dryly as I scowled, nodding my head. "He's not allowed to kill you or let you die under his watch, if that comforts you." She added after the silence became uncomfortable. "I just want my father back." I muttered, glaring at the car that would take us to the airport. "Well, I did give you my best. Try not to kill him, would you?" she called after me as I nodded and stomped out the door to my new _partner._

_3__rd__ Person POV:_

_Oh…joy._ That was the first thing on Pura's mind as she saw the tiny plane they were to fly in. Alucard was already sprawled in his seat, long legs stretched out before him. As if God or some other higher being (she was beginning to think the devil had taken a personal interest in her life) had placed the only other chair directly next to his, and he was grinning, clearly awaiting her. She took several steps forward, then calmly sat down on the floor, ignoring him as his grin of anticipation faded. She had handled this rather neatly, he had to admit. But…she couldn't deny to No-Life-King when he wanted something. "That's dangerous. Up you go my dear." He said, leaning over the tiny seat and scooping her up as she hissed and struggled, squeaking a little in shock as he buckled her in with his shadows, letting go to watch in detached amusement as she struggled against the "seatbelt", grunting as she scrabbled at it with her bare hands and failing miserably to dislodge it from her waist. She finally gave up, panting, and he mischievously tightened it to make her gasp slightly and begin tugging again.

She gave up again after a while, and he chuckled darkly, making her glare. "Let me go." She snarled, and he smirked. "You didn't say please." She gaped at him, fuming, and then growled and returned to tugging at her restraint with single-minded purpose. He scowled, waving one finger, and several more shadows shot out, binding her arms against the seat so she was completely helpless. She stared at him in wordless rage, then started struggling, grunting as the straps dug into her skin. "You need to say please." He crooned, leaning back in his seat to watch in obvious amusement as she writhed and squirmed. She stopped, banging her head against the seat back in frustration. "Please." It was a tiny, tiny mutter, and he grinned openly. "What?" She gave him a glare that would have cut down a human, then repeated it. "PLEASE, let me go." She growled, and he chuckled, letting the shadows around her arms release. "Good little Papist. It's nice to know the Vatican can raise a polite dog to fetch for them." He taunted, yanking his hat down and clearly going to sleep.

She stared at him for a moment, then looked down at her "seatbelt". Pulsing black shadow, with simmering red lights deep in its depths. She made a face, disgusted by whatever _thing_ was touching her, tugging at it again. She brought out a silver knife, starting to saw into the creation, only to be startled by a muffled hiss coming from Alucard, jumping and seeing him still asleep, and pained look on his face. She stopped, hypnotized by the look. His face so much more innocent without a leer or a grin in place. Almost…attractive. The slight grimace of pain that crossed his features only enhanced them, showing his bloodless lips, dark lashes, and high cheekbones prominently. She blinked, and realized she had gone almost a full minute gawping at his sleeping face. She pulled away with a scowl, folding her arms and deciding to sleep as well. She was awoken by a rough hand on her shoulder, shaking her hard. She slapped it away, glaring sleepily at Alucard, who scowled back. Apparently his good mood had deteriorated along with the darkness. It was almost noon here, wherever it was.

She stepped out, followed by him, and raised her eyes. A jungle. She pulled out her GPS locator, the one every Vatican agent carried to locate their partner. Her father's locator did show up here, and it was nearby, maybe some ten or twenty miles. Her brow furrowed. Why here? Alucard peered over her shoulder, then waited for her to snap at him. He grinned, realizing she was still musing over the GPS, and nuzzled the nape of her neck, sniffing. Mmm…she smelled delicious. Rosemary, frankincense, the dusty dryness of a bookshelf, a little metal tang of gunpowder and rust…enticing. She jerked away from him, scowling as she rapidly scrubbed her skin. "WHAT THE HELL?!" she roared, a light flush crossing her face as she death-glared him once more. "May I be curious? Is that allowed Papist?" he purred, licking his lips at her as she made a face and turned away, searching for their contact.

He wasn't hard to find, as he was peering blearily in all directions. Pura stepped up, and he grinned, showing rotted and toothless gums as Alucard stepped up beside her. "Well, look who showed. Pura Anderson. And who's the pimp?" Alucard growled low in his throat as Pura chuckled and shook hands with the tiny man. "Thanks Rico. He's been giving me a hard time all the way down here." Rico grinned again, eyes scanning her up and down. "Well, he can't have ridden you that hard. You're still walking." He said, grinning as their expressions switched, Alucard starting to grin as Pura flushed and growled. "Never mind you, perverted old man." She snapped, putting both hands on her hips. "Start talking before I gut you." He sighed, shaking his head and waving them towards a shack. "You're no fun…" he grumbled, pushing the door open and letting it swing back in their faces. Alucard reached past her, winking lustfully as he murmured in her ear "You just need to learn how to bargain Papist."

She whitened, gaping after him as he grinned and let the door swing shut in her face once more. She quickly grabbed the handle and opened it, coming in as Rico was talking rapidly to him. "…so for about fifty?" he said eagerly, and Alucard shook his head slowly. "No. I'm going to need more. I mean-" he stood in a flash, grabbing her by the wrists and holding her above his head. "-Look at this body…" he finished, spinning her slowly as Rico stroked his chin. "True enough…" he murmured, and Pura kicked Alucard's shoulder, making him let go with a grunt as she landed, slipping a knife out of a hidden sheath and stabbing it directly between his legs before spinning, aiming her next blade at Rico. "Tell me now, before you get the same treatment." She said calmly, jerking her head towards her "partner" as he winced and removed the bloody knife from between his thighs. Rico gulped, quickly turning and yanking out a map.

"The bastards are clever, moving around like little wasps. I've gotten reports from all over the backwoods, and the cities. These guys are everywhere. Now, there's been reports of some sort of radiation generator, one that takes out all nerves in the body from some of the natives I've seen. And let me tell you, after seeing their wounds, I believe 'em. Nasty thing. Steer clear of that, but accounts do vary, and some make it portable. Not to mention we don't have a definitive location…anyway, your best bet is to go through…" his fingers traced their route as he became all business, and Alucard leaned over the table, interested. "I've got a jeep, but it's my baby. You don't hurt the truck, or I'll make sure every agent you send after me gets lost in a bog." He said, leading them out to the back where a dull green jeep sat, clearly hanging on to life by a thin shred. Pura sighed, shaking her head, and Alucard frowned, annoyed by this development.

Pura's eyes raked the jungle, searching tirelessly for her father or his kidnappers. Alucard calmly piloted the "car" as it jerked and banged its way along the twisting jungle road. "This much fixation is unhealthy Papist. You should have a counseling session." He teased her, mentally recalling the map and their route, finding them to be about three-quarters of the way to their campsite for the night and following day. "So should you, vampire." She grumbled absently, eyes still searching the monotonous green. "I'm going to strip you naked." He said clearly, and she twitched slightly, eyeing him out of the corner of her eye. "I didn't know you could regenerate _everything_…" she said flippantly, and he scowled. "Why do you think you're still alive? Damn Papist…" he grumbled under his breath, wrenching the wheel around as they arrived, unconsciously pressing his legs together and wincing at the memory.

Pura immediately got out, stretching a little and dragging her meager backpack of items behind her. Alucard smirked, carrying his own backpack filled with blood packs to keep him from biting her or any other humans they may encounter. "Why so few items Papist?" he teased, and she shrugged. "I couldn't go back to the Vatican, not after what happened. We have a spy, they'd know I escaped. Without me showing up, all they know is I didn't get captured, and they don't know if I'm even still alive." She murmured, unfolding her bedroll as he scowled and grudgingly admitted (in his own mind) that was rather clever of her. "So all I have is the standard fieldpack." She finished, dusting her hands off, sitting on her haunches and nodding in satisfaction. He grunted noncommittally, hanging his backpack in a tree so nothing could eat it before he did. She stood, sweeping some of her fluffy blonde hair behind her ears and facing him squarely as he blinked, bemused. "I'm not working with you like you are right now. At least limit being an asshole, that's all I'm asking. For you I doubt stopping it entirely would be possible." She said firmly, holding out her hand as she waited for his answer.

He smirked at her proposition and her outstretched hand, lazily stretching his own forward and taking hers in a firm grip. "Fine then. I'll play nice." He said, smirking and shaking her hand once before immediately letting go. She nodded, wiping her own hand off on her pants as she turned and took out her GPS again. "He's close. Maybe ten, fifteen minutes away. Let's go." She said crisply, turning it off and tucking it in her pocket as she climbed into the jeep, closing the door with a snap and a creak and waiting for him to enter it as well. He chuckled at her impatience, casually walking over and phasing through the door, kicking his legs up on the dashboard as she turned the key, engine rumbling to life under them. She backed out, then managed to get the truck under some measure of control as she piloted it through the jungle, ignoring him completely. As per his new deal, he remained silent instead of harassing her, even catching a short nap before she let the van sputter to a halt. "C'mon vampire. Let's get my father back." she growled, opening the door and then closing it again as his eyes opened sleepily.

He yawned once before following, his senses sharpening as they got closer to her father's location. She stiffened, stopping dead as they came upon a small clearing, her father, along with several dozen vampires, standing side by side. He was being forced to kneel by a large machine, and her eyes narrowed. _That better not be the generator…_ "PURA! RUN LASS!" he bellowed, and she shook her head, stepping forward, along with Alucard, who casually started shooting as he advanced. The remaining vampires quickly hit something on the machine and ran, as light and heat began wavering out of it like a miniature sun. Pura hissed as the first stinging pain struck her, staggering and then pulling herself up, stepping forward once more. Alucard ground to a halt as well, the pain bombarding his mind heavily, as he was much closer. He started panting and gasping, the incredible pain searing into his mind and burning it out. He froze in place, unable to force himself closer to that _thing_ that was doing this to him.

Alucard screeched, feeling the radiation begin to pound into him. Pura was still struggling on, head bowed and teeth gritted, her father's agonized voice encouraging her to push forward, not giving in and kneeling in the dirt. She was nearly even with him now, gasping as the pain began tearing at her body uncontrollably. Her legs were shaking, tears pouring down her face, lip bleeding as she bit it to keep from crying out. She gasped in frustration, shielding her eyes from the punishing glare, finally looking at him. Those deep green pools widened in shock, seeing the great Nosferatu Alucard, No-Life King, kneeling in the dust and screaming his agony to the sky. Her determination wavered, and then a new purpose came into her eyes. Alucard closed his own, knowing resistance at this point was futile. Suddenly there was a warm body beneath his arm, and his blurry eyes snapped open in shock as he was shoved to his feet. His legs buckled and he stumbled, but that same person was beneath him again, holding him up and dragging him away. Someone, perhaps his own mind, was screaming at him to get up and move, but pain had broken his will, for now at least.

There was a cry of exasperation and he was dragged a few meters further, then many points of cold, hard metal started digging into his back. Then someone turned him over, and an engine rumbled to life beneath their bodies, reality starting to move off. A warm hand brushed against his cheek, smoothing over his bloody face gently. If he had been conscious the person would have been bitten for such a liberty, but he was tired, so tired...Blood seeped into his mouth, and he drank instinctively, strength returning slightly, to the point he was sure he wouldn't die...yet. He closed his mouth to swallow, lips brushing a finger held over his maw. He sucked it, feeling more blood ooze out of a clean slash at the very tip, rejuvenating him. "Mmm..." The finger was suddenly withdrawn, and he frowned, weakly reaching for it. A hand closed on his wrist, gently putting his arm back down. "That's enough. Sleep ya bastard." a voice said thickly, and he sagged, obeying, because his will had been torn to shreds and the voice was the only motivating thing left to cling to.

His eyes snapped open. They were at the home base, sunlight streaming through the trees. He sat up, noting his wounds had mostly healed thanks to the mysterious blood letter. Pura was sitting on a log a few feet away, back to him and absently playing with a flute. He watched, wondering if her father was going to try and kill him anytime soon, now that they got him back. He sat down beside her, noting that she did not immediately move away like she usually did. "I felt like I was going to die." he said softly, putting a hand to his stomach, where a particularly large gash still throbbed. "You almost did." she said stiffly, avoiding his curious gaze. The flute whirled in her fingers, a wooden dance of music made visible. A flash of white caught his eye, and he blinked. One of her fingers had a band-aid on it. His eyes flicked back to her face. Her fist clenched, flute ceasing it's hypnotic twirls. "Who saved me?" he asked softly, and she glanced at him. Guilt was written all over her features, her trembling fists giving even more evidence to her silent confession. "You?" he whispered, incredulous. She gritted her teeth and looked away. His hand wrenched her wrist away from her lap, shoving her bandaged finger in her face. "You were the one that fed me?!" She growled, yanking her hand away.

"I'm SORRY if you regret it, Your most Unholy Majesty. Forgive this humble servant for being so low and cowardly to save your undead ass when you were bleeding out and dying in the dirt. I regret it too." she snarled, turning her back to him. He gaped at her, in shock. "What does your father think of this..." he asked slowly, and she stiffened. She suddenly whirled and rose to her feet, glowering down at him, furious. "HOW THE HELL SHOULD I KNOW THAT?! I HAD TO LEAVE HIM BEHIND BECAUSE I HAD TO GO HELP **YOU**!" she roared, shoving him off the log and stomping off, wiping her face furiously with one hand. He stared after her, stunned. _She...she abandoned her father...for me? In God's name... why...she hates me...doesn't she? _He got up, following her scent to where she had hidden, curled against a tree branch next to the river. She was sobbing, rocking back and forth with her arms wrapped around herself, tears streaming down her face.

"I'm sorry father...oh god please I'm so sorry...I had to...please forgive me father..." she whimpered, stifling more sobs as she rocked faster. He stepped forward silently. He knew better than to announce his presence. She would retaliate with anger, not expecting anything but anger in return. "I-I had to...I couldn't just leave him...not even he deserves that...please understand father..." she whispered, burying her face in her arms and sobbing harder. So it was pity. Not anything else. That was why she had saved him. Compassion she had yet to throw away. "I-I could o-only help one and h-he was the c-closest...OH GOD I HATE HIM SO MUCH!" she screamed, wailing her misery to the sky. He did not wince, the insult brushing off him like a duck shed water. He turned, walking back to the ruins in silence. She returned just before sundown, sitting as far away from him as possible and glaring at him whenever he came near. He ignored her as he had done the past few nights, getting her dinner together and shoving it in her lap. She blinked, seeing the cooked food, glaring at him suspiciously.

"Gratitude makes you look stupid." she hissed, not touching it. "It isn't you foolish wench. I can't stand it when YOU make food, so I made it for you. Now I can actually get some thinking done." he growled back, feeling wounded for some reason. She scoffed, nipping the meat and carefully testing it for poison. He grunted, rolling his eyes at her suspicions. Why would he do something so...unrefined as poison her? Better to simply stab her through the heart with his bare hands, or rip her head off and throw it in a fire. Poison was something a human would use. He closed his eyes, testing the perimeters of his supernatural vision for enemies. His range was far, far shorter than normal, something he blamed the after-effects of the radiation generator for. But it was still enough to give them quite a healthy warning if anyone...or any_thing_...tried to attack. She finished, taking her dishes to the river and cleaning them, coming back and laying in her bedroll before he was done. He opened his eyed, sensing a boar pack nearby. He shifted, leaning forward and gripping her shoulder lightly, but the past few days had taken their toll and she was sound asleep, much more so than her normal training would allow.

The vicious beasts came into the circle of firelight, eyes glinting out from the darkness. He had hidden the human food and his own blood packs in a tree, so the only source they might consider edible was...Pura. Sure enough, although they would not go within twenty feet of him, they constantly nudged closer to the fragile human, snuffling and snorting. He growled, baring his teeth, and they squealed, backing away. This girl, annoying, loud, and Catholic Papist that she was, was still HIS partner, and under HIS dominion. They were not allowed to touch her. But nature proved stronger than any fear of a vampire, and they edged in again, from all sides in an even circle. He paused, gritting his teeth. These were clever hogs indeed. If he moved to kill any one of them, the rest could easily charge and maim Pura before he could intervene. He looked down at her, cocking his head. There was one thing...

He lay down beside her, pulling her warm body snug against him and wrapping his arms around her, glaring defiantly at the nearest boar. It snuffled, but was clearly not stupid enough to charge a vampire, no matter what tasty morsel he had in his grip. Pura sighed and muttered, turning over and accidentally brushing her lips against his throat. He blinked, noticing how bad an idea this was, but he couldn't exactly let her get eaten by a pack of boars. Anderson might find enough holy wrath to kill him if that happened. He chuckled at the thought, gently turning her back over. This was going to be a long, LONG night.

Pura murmured, awareness returning. She was pressed against something supportive and comforting, slightly cool, but still giving off a general aura of relaxation. Something was restricting her though. Her eyes opened, seeing a familiar pair of white binding gloves and arms with red sleeves covering them wrapped around her, and her body went cold. The fact both of them were fully clothed did not reassure her one bit. Alucard could've ripped her clothes apart, screwed her senseless, hypnotized her into forgetting the whole thing, and phased them back on without her noticing for all she knew. He was hard to separate from the impossible, and this was definitely something that would amuse his perverted mind. "BASTARD!" she roared, smashing the back of her head into his nose. He grunted, awakening and letting go as he hissed and put a hand to his face. She writhed away, whipping a knife out and glaring at him as he stood, gingerly wiping a trickle of blood away. "And WHAT-" he asked frostily, licking his finger off absently. "-did I do to deserve THAT?" She snarled, glaring at him wordlessly. "Are you thick! I wake up and you're...you're-" she was unable to form any more words due to her mounting rage, swiping at him with the knife as he cursed and dodged.

"For the love of everything freakish and unholy, I DIDN'T TOUCH YOU WOMAN!" he roared, temper flaring. "Then. Why. Were. You. CUDDLING ME!" she shrieked, punctuating each word with a stab from her knife. His patience ran out and he shoved her to the ground, straddling her and wrenching the knife out of her hands. "Shut up for one second and listen you damn Papist! If you had been paying attention to ANYTHING else, you would've noticed the entire site is covered in boar tracks! Do you know what that means, or do I have to hammer THAT into your thick skull as well!?" he snarled, pinning her wrists to the ground and glaring down at her. She scoffed, widening her focus and seeing he hadn't been lying about that, at least. "So your answer was to do THAT?" she said, her voice and in fact entire being oozing with disgust. He shrugged. "I didn't have any other options, except to kill a few and hope you hadn't been too severely injured before I was done. I don't exactly relish the idea of your father yelling at me because I let you get eaten." he growled, tapping a finger against the ground impatiently. They glared at each other until Pura's stomach rumbled, and he sighed in exasperation. "Fine, I'll feed you-" he snarled, getting off her, but was cut off as she grabbed the pans and shot him a warning look.

"I'm not helpless vampire. Go suck on a wild pig and get rabies, I can cook for myself." she hissed over her shoulder as she went to where he had hidden her food. He smirked, phasing off to find the largest of the boar pack. When she came back she was greeted by the sight of him, lounging back on a log, face covered in blood and wild boar's head leaning against the log as well. To her credit, all she did was raise an eyebrow and sit down, laying out her meal and beginning to prepare it. He watched, trying to see her in any other setting than this one. "You'd make one hell of a vampire." he said after a few moments. She froze, then deliberately set down the pan she was using. "You'll never know." she said firmly, glaring over her shoulder at him and then looking down to resume her cooking. He grinned at her reaction, chuckling silently as she finished and began scarfing down her meal. "Somehow I don't think you'd do very well as a werewolf though. You're too...leashed." he added thoughtfully, leaning back and putting his arms behind his head. She ignored him completely this time.

"A regenerator...well you're the daughter of one, so I suppose you might be already." he mused, frowning in thought as he rolled the last drops of blood around his mouth. That struck a nerve. She twitched, like she was barely mastering the impulse to whip around and fire a retort right back at him. "And...yes, I suppose being a weak, mortal little human is all you're good at." he said dismissively, watching her with half-lidded eyes to see her reaction. "Well then this "weak, mortal little human" is a hell of a lot stronger than YOU, because SHE was the one who had to drop everything and save YOUR sorry unlife back there, not the other way around." she growled, swallowing the last bit of food and glaring at him. He opened his mouth, then closed it, steaming at her well-placed barb. She went down to the river to wash her dishes and came back, staring at him in moody silence until he broke and looked at his phone."Anderson's tracker is moving south, we should be able to find another spot to ambush them. C'mon Papist." he said, getting up and heading to where she had hidden the van.

* * *

"GAAAAHHH!" Pura roared in frustration, ducking a vampire's swipe and sending it flying backwards with a few dozen blessed blades. Alucard snarled, wounds tearing open again, despite the blood packs he had downed, and he had nothing left to spare, impaled by several saplings as Pura was forced to defend herself and the jeep all alone. Being the skilled paladin she was, she did make it happen, but she was cut several times and the entire affair was just one big setback. She approached him, growling under her breath and starting to yank the makeshift stakes pinning his arms and legs out of his body. He gratefully moved his arms, trying futilely to ignore the sweet scent of and throb of her pulse as he began yanking stakes out of himself slowly. "They have some sort of cloaking mechanism. That's the only way his tracker can suddenly pop up and then hide." he growled as he followed her back to the jeep, stomach rumbling. She turned to ignition, scowling deeply as he carefully sat himself on the seat next to her. Her growl grew louder, and she freed one hand to yank a blade out of her coat, his eyes following her movements curiously.

"You need to learn some damn restraint vamp. I can HEAR how hungry you are for blood." she hissed, nicking the tip of her finger deeply as blood began to trickle down her finger. She held it out to him, glaring out of the corner of her eye. "You bite down and I take your head right off your shoulders. Suck vamp." she snarled, the blood now almost dripping off her finger, wasting the precious, life-giving fluid on the seat. He clamped his lips around her digit, tugging her hand forward a little as the sweet, delicious red liquid began filling his mouth as he sucked on the cut, barely refraining from licking it, remembering his saliva would heal the wound and stop the rejuvenating flow. She ignored him completely as he nibbled her fingernail, trying to entice more blood out as she wrenched the wheel around, truck bumping on the so-called "roads" of the jungle. Eventually, he felt his strength return and lapped at the cut, sealing it shut with a tiny flicker of regret, and she instantly pulled it out, wiping his saliva away on her pants with a mild look of disgust on her face.

"I could get used to this..." he purred, licking his lips and leaning back, content to feel her warm blood sloshing in his belly. She tasted marvelous. Rosemary, a tiny hint of peppermint, some sweetness of lavender, a little spicy tang... delicious. Spice and sugar mixed in a delicate blend, just like the human who gave him the blood. Mmm...his tongue darted out of his mouth, licking his lips hungrily as he imagined drinking more, MORE. "Don't bother. The only blood you'll get from me again is what my blades draw in your flesh." she hissed, knuckles white on the wheel as her entire body tensed in hatred. He chuckled at the rise he accomplished, smirking to himself. "Well then, aren't you a grumpy little girl. Did daddy not tuck you in properly yesterday?" he purred, and she responded by slamming her fist into his face and forcing him against the door, pressing it open until he was leaning over the road. "Do not." she growled, every syllable vibrating with malice.

"-Say anything like that again. Take it back or I drop your corpse right here, right now." she snarled, and he grinned, slightly worried on the inside. It actually might damage him in his current state of weakness. "Well, I don't suppose I'm up to the long walk back. I apologize." he said carelessly, and she yanked him back in, letting go immediately and focusing on the road. They got back, and he watched her in silence as she prepared her meal and ate, avoiding his vicinity and his gaze, going to wash her dishes. He gazed into the fire, lazy and content. This was a little fun, actually. She was forced to sacrifice her own goals to help him, her deal with Integra taking precedence over getting her father back. Yes, it was very interesting to be here. Except...something had been bothering him lately. It started as mere curiosity, but he had counted how much, down to the last drop, he had taken from Pura and he knew she must be exhausted. A human wouldn't even be able to tell, but she treated him with even less than her usual amount of civility and ignored or raged at him whenever he said a word. He wondered if that was healthy. Probably not. Was she eating correctly? He tried to recall, only to be confronted by the amusing image of her eating an apple.


	9. Arum and Argen

_**I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE! PLOTBUUNNNNYYYY! DX Grrrr… well, might as well publish. Oh, FYI, there may be new bits that show up every so often, since this ain't a real story I'll just add more on the bottom.**_

_**Alchemy:**_

The night was quiet. Alucard appreciated that. He stalked through the woods, faintly hearing shots far, far behind him, but overall the night was quiet. He was about to make it much, much louder. Suddenly a loud scream spilt the night air, and he cocked his head, curious. He sniffed; smelling human and vampire, close by. He grinned, phasing silently, seeing a small group of four vampires beating a young human female. His smirk widened. "Scream again tart!" one snarled, kicking her face, sending her skidding along the hard-packed earth. She propped herself up on her elbows, spitting out blood as another approached her. "Talk girlie." He snarled, slamming her face back into the ground. She struggled as he grinded her against dirt and rock, finally going limp as he lifted her up to his face. "Talk." He ordered softly, grinning.

Suddenly her face split in a wide grin matching his, and she yelled "NOW!" He suddenly swung her, body twisting so she kicking two of the others in the jaw, following through with a punch to send the third sprawling. She rolled to her feet, brushing herself off casually as the other male's scent sudden shifted to human, red eyes glowing and settling back to a mischievous and lively brown. She high-fived him, grinning manically, and one of the vampires groaned. She sighed and bent down, accepting the knife her accomplice handed to her. "Scream…boy." She chuckled, tracing it along his jaw as he whimpered and writhed, skin splitting and turning to ash in the wake of the blessed silver. She reversed grip and plunged the knife into his skull, and he stiffened, then collapsed into dust.

Her friend stabbed the other two, and they sighed in unison, sheathing the knives and dusting themselves off. Alucard chuckled darkly, and they whipped around, eyes widening. "Well done. But those were _my_ kills." He said, and they gulped as he drew the Casull. In a flash of movement they were gone, dodging the bullets he sent after them, ducking under a tree and sweeping two large backpacks on, sprinting to a road. He followed, grinning as he sent a hail of bullets into the ground behind the supernaturally fast teens. The girl reached the road first, gunning a motorcycle as the boy jumped beside her, roaring off into the night. He chuckled, still easily following them, running alongside and mockingly tipping his hat to the frightened pair.

The girl was intently focused on the road, but the boy scowled and pulled a pistol out from a holster in the framework of the machine. He aimed, carefully cocking the hammer back as Alucard smirked wider. A bullet blast went off, and he easily dodged, but suddenly, barely a fraction of a second later, another gun blast echoed among the trees and he choked, blood fountaining out of his mouth as the blessed silver hit his throat, sticking somewhere in his spine. He scowled, seeing the smugly grinning female holding a smoking pistol over her shoulder, grinning at him in triumph as he was forced to stop, spitting out the silver bullet crossly as they roared away, whooping. He mentally absorbed a map of the road, and his grin returned. They would have to pass Police Girl. He quickly instructed her, and she reluctantly agreed, moving into position.

* * *

"Take that vampire!" Argentum shouted, whooping as the man in red vanished from our hindsight. He slid the emergency pistol back into the holster, and I grinned, sliding mine back as well. "Tonight's our biggest headcount in ages." I said neutrally, sliding the bike back into the proper lane. Wouldn't do if some police people started yelling at us. I hated beating up law and order people, since we were technically on the same side. "Yeah, it's always a lot more when we use you as bait." He said, punching my shoulder. I rolled my eyes. "Brother dear, I find it a lot more fun when we use you as bait." He pouted at me through the rearview mirror, and I stifled a grin. "But I'm the only one who can pull off a vampire act. Bla Arum, bla!" he said, eyes shifting to red and body growing icy at my back, baring his fangs at me in a playful grin.

I elbowed him and he winced, eyes fading back to chocolate brown and body regaining its heat, teeth shrinking. "Ow." I rolled my eyes. "And that's the problem with your disguise Argen. You lose the glamour the instant you feel pain or are startled. Unlike _me_, who can hold it how long…" He scowled, folding his arms and pouting. "Two freaking days, oh my smug and smarty-pants big sis." I giggled, reaching over my shoulder and patting his head. "Good boy." I teased, and he spluttered, slapping my hand away in annoyance. I grinned and turned on our radio. "Oh, it's our favorite!" I squealed, and his gloomy face brightened. "_I got this feeling on a summer day when you were gone, I crashed my car into a bridge, I watched, I let it burn! I threw your stuff into a bag and pushed it down the stairs, I crashed my car into a bridge, I DON'T CARE! I LOVE IT! I DON'T CARE! I got this feeling on a summer day when you were gone, I crashed my car into a bridge, I watched, I let it burn!_" We sang along happily, feeling the wind tangle in my hair and make our clothes snap and flutter.

Bright police lights and sirens were flashing a little down the road, and I turned it off, making Argen pout and reach past me to turn it back on. "No, we gotta look responsible and cultured. We'll turn it back on after we're out of hearing range." I reprimanded, and he sat back, folding his arms in a state of high sulk. Suddenly there was a deep boom, and I had time to almost tip the bike horizontal as an anti-tank round shot past us and detonated in the bushes on the other side of the road. I sped up, dodging more rounds, feeling them batter the earth around us. "Bad! Bad! Bad! Bad! Bad! Bad! Bad! Bad!" I muttered, eyes questing for our sniper. "Eat silver vamperic freak!" Argen snarled, firing off several bullets from his pistol, and the shots ceased for a second as he reloaded. "Keep it up Argen or we're roadkill!" I hissed, revving the engine and making the bike shoot forward abruptly. "Aww, can't my sis dodge a wee cannon barrage?" he teased, cocking the pistol right next to my ear.

"Can't my brother hit a wee cannon sniper?" I asked sweetly, and he snarled, firing rapidly into the darkness, making the cannon shots stop once more. I ducked, the recoil blast ringing in my ears for a second before I adjusted, flattening myself against the bike to cut down on wind resistance and speeding faster. "Apparently not." He said calmly, reloading again rapidly. I gulped. "Well then what are the chances of me dodging a cannon barrage?" I asked nervously, seeing the lights up ahead, so close, so agonizingly close… "Not very good at all." He growled, pulling out our second pistol and tucking it into my backpack. He fired into the darkness and I still miraculously managed to dodge the shots, but they were coming closer and closer. Argen loaded his gun instantly, firing into the night again as he frantically stripped the bike, stuffing everything portable into our backpacks.

"We are in trouble…" he muttered, dumping the spent casings on the road, but not finding any more. I nodded as he flattened himself against me, gunning the bike to its full speed as we hurled forward, barely in control as I hung on for dear life. The speedomometer clicked past a hundred…hundred and ten…hundred and twenty…hundred and forty…hundred fifty. MAX OUT. I sighed, shaking my head. We weren't going to make it. KABOOM! The bike exploded beneath us, sending me flying as a blast of heat, light, and sound scorched the inside of my eyelids, a shockwave flinging me into the thorny branches of a holly bush. I blearily opened my eyes, ears ringing from the concussive trauma. Argen scrambled over to me, but his words were muffled and slurred.

I blinked, world coming back into focus, hearing becoming sharp once more. "C'mon let's go! Are the vials good?" he shouted, yanking me to my feet. I nodded rapidly, hearing them clink inside the waterproof, heatproof, bulletproof, pretty-much-anything-proof fabric of my backpack. We started running, and I wheezed, holding a hand to my side where a large piece of what was probably our bike had stabbed into my gut. "Move it move it move it move it!" I snarled, running faster, outpacing him slightly as we ran towards the lights. We pounded into a circle of startled police officers, or soldiers, whatever, no time for chatting or introductions as we leaped over a car and skidded under a van, stopping for a second as Argen hotwired a bike and leaped on, me waving in apology to the cops as they shouted after us, clutching him tightly around the waist as we zoomed off into the night.

_***Time Skip***_

"God…" I hissed, nails digging into the couch as Argen wrenched the twisted metal from my gut, letting it clatter to the floor and handing me a wet washcloth. "Yeah…" he said quietly, yanking an even larger piece of metal from his shoulder and sitting down beside me, dabbing at the wound with some water of his own. We sat in silence, shrapnel still piercing much of our bodies as we simply accepted the fact we were still alive and cleaned our wounds. I held a vial of the precious potion in one hand, waiting for the dizziness to start so I could drink. "You ever…" he said suddenly, but trailed off, not finishing. "It wasn't one of our smartest moves." I said dryly, and one corner of his mouth twitched upwards.

Suddenly my head swam and the aching wounds flared, burning more pain into my body as I gasped and arched. With shaking hands I quickly uncorked the vial, limbs convulsing as I shoved it in my mouth, gulping it down swiftly as my throat seized up, then relaxed. My wounds faded and in fact vanished. The dizziness rushed past as suddenly as it had came, my twitching arms and legs flopping back to the previous position. The bitter, yet sweet, liquid pooled in my stomach, making me sigh as it quickly dissolved into my body, letting me live another day. I glanced at Argen, whose eyes were watering. "It gets harder every time…" he whispered, turning his face away. "Oh come on Argen, I am _not_ letting you waste time moaning about how sad this all is." I snapped, and he flinched.

"What's done is done, and being sad won't change it." I said firmly as I spotted his body starting to tremble. "Now take your medicine." He smirked, falling back as he lifted the vial to his mouth, letting me guide his hand as it relaxed, swallowing the potion eagerly. "I hate you, you know that?" he said weakly, twitching as it worked through his system, then sitting up, looking as vibrant as I felt. "Yeah, I know. What do you want for dinner?" I said, flipping off the couch and landing in a perfect ninja crouch by the kitchen door, then straightening and pushing my thick black hair away from my forehead and turning back to hear his response. He grinned lazily, running a hand through his short and messy black hair in thought. "Meh, make what you want. I shall dutifully hold down the couch and watch some TV." He chuckled, flicking the remote up and catching it, already rapidly flipping through channels as I went to the kitchen and started clattering.

A few minutes later I spun a full plate into the room, seeing him catch it in one hand absently and set it down, then exclaim in my direction "Oh hey look, we're on TV. "Two violent and possibly mentally disturbed teens stole a bike from private government agency Hellsing last night, and made off with it in a west-southwest direction, subjects are armed and dangerous" Gee, when are the people on TV news reports that stole things _not_ dangerous? Channel change, now." I heard a click and rolled my eyes. "You're a very strange young man." I told him, bouncing a full glass off my bicep into his hand and sitting down next to him, swallowing some milk of my own as he belched. "They say you can pick your friends but you can't pick your family." He said cheerfully, slinging an arm over my shoulder and squeezing me tightly.

"I'll disown you." I told him, shoving him off playfully and quickly digging into my food, chuckling as he pouted and did the same almost instantly. "Ow 'han 'ou 'isown 'e 'f ere's honly hwo 'f us?" he asked, and I blinked. "What?" He swallowed and tried again. "How can you disown me if there's only two of us?" I snorted. "I go down to the legal office and say I don't want you anymore…" he poked me with his fork. "That's adoption and pets." I tried again. "I go down to the legal office and say you're a horrible relative and I never want to see you again…" He choked on his food, swallowing and then laughing hysterically "That's…divorce…" he gasped, holding his stomach and howling with laughter. I pretended to think, biting my lip. "I cut your throat and tie up, disposing of the evidence in the nearest river, right next to the legal office."

He fell on the ground, convulsing with laughter, tears pouring from his eyes. "That's…murder…" he panted, wheezing and grinning. I pulled him up, hugging him in a vice grip. "Frick. Then I guess I'm stuck with you, ya madcap goof." I said happily, watching absently as he clawed at my hands, then letting go and giggling as he wheezed, sucking in air desperately. "To the VERY bitter end…" he said, weakly punching his fist in the air and smirking up at me. I grinned, bumping my fist against his. "And the even more miserable existence." We both laughed, innocently and loudly, just two ordinary siblings messing around. Ignoring the bullet-ridden objects scattered everywhere, the flickering and unstable lights, the worn and tiny furniture, the unsatisfactory meal of an apple and a sandwich. The alchemy vials gleaming in their pockets, waiting to be used again, the bullet cartridges scattered carelessly across our one table, and knives, swords, daggers, and other blades hung neatly on the walls, alternating with explosives and guns. Just two, simple, ordinary siblings.

* * *

I watched as Integra ranted. Apparently although Police Girl had indeed succeeded in shooting the bike down, the two teens had miraculously gotten up almost instantly, and proceeded to have the cohesiveness and skill to dodge the mercenaries and hot-wire another bike to get them out. Needless to say, Integra was both interested and furious. "And where were you when this was all going down?" she snapped, looking at me sharply. I held up the silver bullet in explanation. "_Pure_ silver. Not even the tiniest ingratiation of other metals, and triple blessed. This can easily stop even me dead in my tracks for a limited amount of time." I said, grudgingly respectful of the unknown teens' skills.

She blinked. "How could they get so much silver as to cast bullets of that purity!?" she spluttered, and I shrugged. "I don't know master. But I doubt we will find records of anything stolen. These children, although young, are highly skilled." I said, folding my arms with heavy finality. Police Girl nodded, gasping as she shifted the ice pack on her side. A silver bullet had grazed her, and she was attempting to heal it. "Drink some blood and that agony you feel now will stop." I snapped at her, cross that our prey had gotten away. She whimpered and nodded, hanging her head and walking away to get a blood pack, limping slightly to accommodate for her wound. I growled, both in annoyance at her self-pity and remembering the smug grin the girl had tossed over her shoulder as she sped away, silver bullet sending burning pain throughout my body.

* * *

The rumble of the bike slowed and died, and I jabbed the kickstand down, hopping off along with Argen. We walked in, and I sighed at the familiar reek of gunpowder and burnt metal. "We need as many gun cartridges for this gun as this pays for." I said, slapping a few hundred dollars down on the table and pushing one of our twin pistols across the counter. The man examined it, then reached behind the counter, pilling a very satisfactory amount of bullets on the glass, swiping the bills into his cash register at the same moment. I loaded the gun and stowed it as Argen hung around the very front, keeping an eye on the street as I piled the casings neatly in our shared ammunition pack. I was zipping it up as the man suddenly said "You know, you two look familiar…and that's a nice bike you got out there…"

My head whipped up as I heard the soft click of a gun being cocked, and saw a pistol, hidden from Argen's sight, aimed directly for my face. "Now let's have a nice chat about where you got it while we wait for the police to arrive." He said quietly, flicking me a warning glance as I opened my mouth. I closed it, softly tapping my fingers against the counter. One two one two. There was a sudden, louder click, and Argen's gun was aimed straight for the shop owner, cold brown eyes gleaming at him from the shadow of his hair. "Put the gun down before I hurt you." He growled, and the shop owner scoffed. "What's the bet I can pull the trigger faster?" Quicker than a striking snake I lunged, elbow cracking against his jaw as I wrenched the weapon out of his hands, backing away and thumbing the safety as I blew a strand of hair out of my eyes. "Very, very low." I said, grinning.

He paled, and we started backing away, guns still held out to him warningly. "Please…it's a very important gun…" he whispered pathetically, reaching out involuntarily for mine. I flicked a quick glance down. Very old, but still serviceable. An etched nameplate. Pretty ornamental work. Probably a family heirloom then. I expertly cracked the gun, spilling the casings and tossing it back. He caught it, muttering something and checking it for something, possibly fingerprints. "We technically haven't broken the law yet." I said calmly as he tucked it away. "We've paid for our bullets. We've only threatened you after you threatened us. I'd like you to keep that in mind for your next customer." I said, turning away and walking out of the door, Argen still holding the gun unwaveringly at the man.

He backed out, and I heard whispers as his gun was spotted, but we ignored that as we hopped on the bike and I revved the engine. Argen put the gun away, and I lurched forward, the engine purring to life. Suddenly there was a shot and we both ducked, but I was the one the person was aiming for, and gasped as the bullet tore through my neck. Argen snarled and whipped around, firing five rounds into the man before grabbing the handles and tearing away, pressing up against me as I choked out blood, felling the cold metal bullet lodged in my throat. I coughed, feeling like I was going to vomit, my vision spinning as I slumped, panting and wheezing as blood dripped continuously from my mouth and nose through the long, LONG ride.

I was suddenly scooped up and carried in, dumped on our couch and left there, then feeling someone push me up. "It's in you good sis. We can't get it out until tonight." Argen said in anguish, and I tapped a finger on his leg, demanding pencil and paper. They were pressed into my hand, and I wrote without looking, another skill we had picked up over the years. "_Argen, you damn idiot, did you leave the engine running?_" He yelped and scrambled out, and I heard the humming roar grind to a stop, him coming back in and sitting opposite me on the floor. "_Most people would be screaming by now. This serum's really something, isn't it?_" He laughed sadly, looking at me and wincing. Seeing your sister with blood gushing from her throat, shot through the neck, was probably not a comforting image. "_Don't just sit there man, turn the TV on NOW!_" I scribbled, and he chortled, flicking through the channels rapidly.

I would have sighed in relief, but it would probably make a horrible gurgling sound. Another gloom fit avoided. My stomach rumbled, and we both looked at it in confusion. "Umm…" Argen said, scratching his head. "_Frick. Can we please try shoving something past the bullet, I'm STARVING…_" I scribbled out, looking up at him pleadingly. He raised an eyebrow and I blushed. "_Fine, what time is it?_" He looked at the one still-working clock on the wall. "11:46 AM." I groaned, which actually came out as intended, putting a slightly bloody hand on my face. He chuckled, shaking his head sadly as he spilled the bullets out on the table, cracking his knuckles and preparing to get to work. He half-closed his eyes, muttering something as his hands and the bullets beneath them started to glow a dull grey and his eyes rolled up in his head, only the whites showing as he clenched his teeth with effort.

They stopped, and he moved on, slowly leaving a trail of pure silver bullets in his wake, taking a deep breath at the end and wiping away sweat mere physical activity would never cause. I clapped slightly in approval, and he grinned at me tiredly. "Right, let's get these puppies blessed and start shooting vampires!" he cheered, bringing the table over and sitting down across from me. He was meticulous, blessing each and every one singly, and I waited until he was done before holding my hand out, blessing it in silence, trying to pour as much of my power into it as I could to make up for the lack of sound, moving through the lot carefully. Then Argen linked hands with mine, and we held our entwined hands over the already blessed silver, blessing it for the third and final time as each one glowed for a heartbeat before dulling. I sighed, which _did_ come out as a wet gurgle, when we were done and he loaded them back up, evenly distributing them between our guns. "Now we have to do that about seven or eight more times." He joked, and I groaned, holding up one hand in silent approval to go on, but inwardly cursing as we started blessing the next lot.

_***Time Skip***_

I felt the dull tingle flooding my body again, and hacked, pain tearing through my neck as I registered the bullet like it had hit me again, blood fountaining out of my mouth, wound, and dripping from my nose as I gagged on my own life force, spitting it out rapidly as Argen waited and then shoved the vial in my mouth, and I swallowed desperately, clinging to his wrist with both hands as the life-giving liquid streamed down my throat, trickling past the bullet. Suddenly I convulsed, hacking, and something dull and metal shot out of my mouth, pinging and clattering away into the shadowy corners of our room as I heaved in the first gasp of air, chest rising and falling rapidly. "Damn…" I croaked, sitting up and rubbing my throat, not even a faint scar where seconds before there had been an open wound.

"Yeah. Damn." Argen said hollowly, picking the bloody and crumpled lead bit up, showing it to me silently. "No. That isn't the one that hit me. The one that hit me was a billion times bigger, on fire, and had tiny little barbs sticking out from it. It must have scuttled under the couch." I said, sitting up and jabbing a finger at the offending bullet. He inspected it, raising an eyebrow at me and smirking. "Arum, my dear, sweet big sister, you're a wuss." He snorted, chucking it at me. I caught it, laughing. "You try getting shot through the neck and not saying it hurt!" I pretended to splutter, throwing it back. He narrowed his eyes, and we spent the next half hour chucking the bullet at each other, finally ending up crouched behind the upturned table and couch, peering at each other around corners. Something small and hard struck my ankle, and I wailed, clutching it as the spent bullet clinked off into the darkness. "AH! I'VE BEEN SHOT BY AN IDIOT!" I wailed, bucking and writhing in pretended pain. We both burst out laughing, gasping for air and rolling on the ground, another happily ending night.

* * *

I sighed in boredom as Integra interrogated the man who had reportedly shot one of the teens. He had been shot five times, once in each wrist, ankle, and once right between his legs. He had been very desperate about the last one. I chuckled softly, remembering his pathetic begging for them to fix it. Integra came back out, and I raised an eyebrow in silent query. "He did hit one. I've confirmed that. Reportedly, they came into his shop asking for some ordinary lead bullets, bought them before he recognized them, and then left after he aimed a gun at them. He was able to reload it before they escaped and shot at them in warning, but they ducked as he did so and it pierced what seems to be the girl's neck. She's probably dead. Her accomplice promptly turned and fired the five shots before gunning the bike and leaving the scene."

I grinned. "They would have left a blood trail." She nodded, smirking. "Take Seras and capture him. No lethal force unless forced." I scowled a little at the last one, but nodded and phased away eagerly enough. After picking up Police Girl, we went back to the shop and I started following the blood, which the girl was kind enough to drip liberally. A problem arose as soon as we got into a more rural area. The blood stopped. No more drips, not a single one. The bike had not stopped, nor had it even slowed. The tire tracks, which had also a large amount of blood on them, continued without the telltale pooling even a second's stop would entail. It was as if the girl had suddenly vanished. I shrugged and followed the tracks further, but eventually the blood had dried and the tracks disappeared as well.

The smell still lingered, but that only got us a few hundred meters further before the bike veered off the road and splashed through a stream, washing both blood and smell off completely before moving on. I scowled deeply, feeling for a life force of blood. There was several around, but the most promising was one farther from the others by a considerable amount, and without pausing grabbed Police Girl's arm and phased there. Once the world solidified, I grinned. The stolen bike was parked outside. That was promising. The door opened, and the female walked out. I was still with shock a second too long, and her sharp eyes immediately went to my red and Police Girl's yellow clothes, out of place in the forest and bush. I aimed the Casull at her, but she jumped away, landing a few feet closer to the bike and hissing at me. "Vampire!" she screamed, drawing a pistol and firing it rapidly, forcing both me and Police Girl to dodge.

Those blessed silver bullets would be lethal to Police Girl. They would incapacitate me for at least five minutes. We couldn't afford to let her have a kill shot. Just as her champers clicked empty, another shot forced me to duck as the boy advanced, guns blazing as his associate rapidly reloaded, finishing just as _he_ ran out. She switched with him, firing on the both of us as he reloaded, a very practiced dance. These two knew how to fight vampires, and were clearly very practiced at teamwork. "Argen!" she roared, dropping the gun and streaking forward unexpectedly. I jerked back slightly, startled at this reckless move, and was slammed back more, her foot connecting solidly with my jaw. She dropped in a precise crouch, then moved up to punch my chest. I hissed, feeling bones break under the force of that punch. These were not humans, no matter how much they smelled like them. No human could pack a punch that heavy. Not even Anderson came close.

The boy ran back inside, then came out almost instantly, carrying those huge packs and absently slamming Police Girl down, knocking her out temporarily as he slung his bag over his shoulder and called to the girl "Arum! C'mon let's get gone!" She nodded, panting a little as she hammered into me, slamming me into a tree as I gritted my teeth and hit her back, making her wince slightly. She spun, feet neatly catching my chin again, catching something that was dull and wooden and slamming it into my heart as I choked, blood fountaining out of my mouth. She snarled, punching the stake, and it drove deeper, pinning me to the tree. The end was broad, like a mushroom cap, and there was no way I could've pulled away like a normal stake. She grinned at me, wiping her bloody hands on her pants and streaking off, leaping on the bike with her brother and roaring off, dust churning in their wake as I snarled in helpless rage.

* * *

"None of that fatal injuries nonsense this time?" Argen asked teasingly, sliding the bike around a slow moving car. I giggled in his ear. "Not a one you big jerk!" I said, lightly punching his shoulder. We both laughed, not a care in the world as we drove down the highway. "Did we forget anything at the house?" I asked in worry, and he laughed. "Don't be so stupid! I got everything, vials, weapons, drawings, cards, every last thing we came with!" I sighed in relief, leaning against him. We didn't set much stock in material goods, but there were some things precious to our hearts. And necessary to our survival. Besides, the house wasn't even ours, like so many of the dwellings we had used over the years. As long as we weren't in it the vampires could blow the place to kingdom come for all we cared.

Argen started fiddling with buttons, looking for the radio. "Ah, here we go." He said, switching it on and flipping to our favorite channel. "_There's a place downtown where the freaks all come around, it's a hole in the wall, it's a dirty free for all!_" We sang along as the bike roared, thrumming between our legs as the powerful engine ate up the miles. I flicked out a road map. "Let's see now…if I were a vampire, where would I go…" I broke off from the song for a moment, thinking and wincing as Argen's off-key voice grated on my ears. "We're going just outside of London. And we're not doing it as humans." I told him, folding my arms and the map. He tapped a finger on the handles of the bike, thinking and turning the sound off as an afterthought.

"Werewolf?" I thought it over, then shook my head. "Full moon's tonight." We both winced and shook our heads. "And we can't be vampires or else Big, Red, and Fangy will come after us even easier." He added, and I nodded rapidly. "But…" I said, biting my lip. He sighed, smacking his head against the bike. "_But_..." I sighed. "We don't have any other options, because no way in hell are we going to show our true forms. That's just begging for trouble with a capital NOW." He groaned, shaking his head sadly. "Damn. Vampire it is then."

_***Time Skip***_

I peeked in the mirror, seeing my eyes bright and red, poking at my long fangs curiously. It always felt so strange not to have a heartbeat, or body heat, or need to breath. Argen sighed next to me, sipping a blood pack we had "borrowed" from the hospital earlier. We both had the munchies, but obviously weren't going to bite someone. Honestly, we were a bit afraid to. What would happen if you were bitten by a not-even-vampire vampire? Bad, bad things, we didn't doubt. So we sipped a blood pack. I snatched it from him, draining the last half rapidly. I burped, licking my lips and sticking my longer tongue at him as we both chuckled. I stretched, feeling very awake indeed, even though it was past midnight._ Comes of being a vampire I guess._ Suddenly all the lights flared up, even the ones we hadn't turned on, and we grabbed our weapons immediately.

"Midians, come out! We know you're in there!" An imperious voice echoed from the hotel speakers, and we blinked at each other. Midians…the euphemism for vampires? Oops. We forgot about vampire hunters. I pressed the intercom button on our wall "Uh, yeah, about that, give us a sec…" I muttered into it, and we quickly strapped on weapons. Obviously, we hadn't unpacked at all, and I slung my pack over one shoulder as we walked out the door, trying futilely to turn off the lights for politeness's sake, but shrugging and giving up after a moment. I opened the door to the hallway, going first with pistol cocked and at the ready, Argen following behind me and keeping his gun pointed in the opposite direction. With my vampire senses I discover a whole bunch of armed men in the room up ahead, and tapped my heel against Argen's twice.

He stopped and I knocked the door once before slamming it open. A whole crowd of mercenaries aimed guns at me, and I held up my hands, still holding a pistol in my right one. "Gentlemen, I apologize deeply, profusely, and sincerely beforehand for what I am about to do to you." I said calmly, then swung into action. My gun flashed as another leaped into my hand, and I emptied the barrels of both, making twelve of the men scream and collapse on the ground, curled in a fetal position with both hands tucked between their legs. The rest wavered and I had time to drop the guns, two more flashing into being as I rapidly fired into the next dozen, taking them down and out. There was only one who I judged to be the leader left standing as I dropped the second pair, barrels smoking as wails and whimpers filled the room. I pulled out one last pistol, aiming it directly where I had aimed the last times. "Don't worry." I said and he flinched, eyes widening as he paled. "If you flinch right you might _not_ be castrated well into your next life."

He blanched and ran out the door, and I chuckled, holstering the gun and reloading my other four as I whistled to Argen. "All clear." He stepped in, shaking his head sadly at the sight of all the men on the ground. "You my dear sis, are a total sadist." He scolded me as we stepped over the moaning and writhing bodies, and I grinned. "Daw, you're just saying that to make me blush. I hit them on the inside of the leg, just like always. It just _feels_ like a crotch shot. By the time most of them realize it isn't we're long gone, am I right?" he nodded grudgingly as we got into position again, walking further down the hallway to the doors. "I still think you're playing on that fear too much." I sighed as we kicked down another door, this time with nobody in the room. "It's a sensitive point on the human body that is extremely common and if you _do_ miss they won't die, at least physically. Mentally is a whole different story." I said, humming a little.

"True enough, but I think you enjoy it. Oh, sniper." I ducked as a bullet whizzed by my head, shattering the glass of the window we were passing conveniently. "SUCK KNOCKOUT JUICE YOU SNEAKY BASTARD!" I roared, hurling a sleeping dart at the figure on the opposite building, seeing him crumple in satisfaction. Argen chuckled as we moved towards the lobby, shaking his head. "You have a very violent temper when you're annoyed." He said, shouldering a door open as we switched off. "I can't help it. I've been blown up, shot, and now my teeth itch. I hate turning vamp." I grumbled, itching the offending fangs but doing nothing. "Seriously? Itchy fangs? That's a new one…" he said, tapping my heel twice. I waited as he slammed the door open, hearing gunshots and watching the hallway with an intent hawk-like gaze, seeing no movement or enemies. A whistle was heard and I backed into the room, closing and locking the doors behind us.

Argen was standing in the midst of a bunch of groaning men, grinning and spinning his pistol on a finger as I noted the fist marks on each man's forehead. "Heh. And you say I'm sadistic." I said teasingly as he holstered the weapon, smirking at me casually. "They were mere love taps." He protested, grinning as we walked out of that room, and I snickered. "I doubt they thought so." I said, cocking my gun as we switched off again, scanning the brightness ahead. He shrugged behind me, probably grinning still. "Such a pessimist you are." I kicked the next door down, walking in the room slowly. "I'm not a pessimist I'm a supernatural optimist." We both chuckled over that and moved on. "Isn't there no such thing?" he muttered teasingly, and we both burst out laughing. "S-stop you bastard we're on a j-job…" I gasped, eyes watering. We each took a deep breath and moved on, and I stopped, sensing a very powerful vampire up ahead.

We glanced at each other. "You don't think…" I began, looking at the looming doors to the lobby. "It couldn't be…" he added, edging away. In unison we both shrugged and smashed through the doors, splitting up and running in opposite directions as gun blast echoed off the marble walls and floor. I saw it was indeed Big Red himself, scowling deeply as he sent a barrage of bullets at both of us. "Argen! Serpentine!" I shouted, running straight for the vampire as he switched direction, running back the way he had came. The vampire's black gun followed me as his silver one traced Argen, and I grinned, vaulting right past his startled face as Argen suddenly darted to his other side, landing identical blows on his solar plexus. He snarled, but fell to his knees, us darting out into the night, snatching a bike and quickly hot-wiring the engine, roaring off as he howled his rage after us, but was unable to get up in time to stop us.

"YOU SUCK AT FOLLOWING A TARGET!" Argen shouted back at him, and I sighed, shaking my head as I swerved to avoid a large black limo. "He's pissed enough as it is by the sound of it, do we ready need him madder at us?" I asked as we roared past, nodding to the driver absently. Before he could answer a gunshot cracked, and we both ducked, a bullet breezing past my cheek as I gaped, seeing the limo spin and scream after us, a woman leaning out of the passenger seat and aiming a pistol at our tires. "Oh hell no!" I shouted back at her, doing a stoppie (basically a wheelie, but on the front tire, for you poor people who've never ridden a bike) so the bullet pinged off the tarmac instead of our nice, moving bike. "Argen!" I hissed, flipping around so I was facing the other direction, letting him grab the bike handles and gun the engine as I aimed over his shoulder for _her_ tires.

"Eat silver!" I shouted, shooting both front tires and one back one, missing the last as the car skidded wildly, and I grinned, flipping back over and grabbing the bike myself. Suddenly there was a _fwish_ and the bike _**splintered**_ under us, engine blowing as we skidded across the tarmac. I rolled to a stop, hissing in pain as I felt my skin scrubbed away by the abrasive surface. "Argen!" I called, sitting up and looking around. He grabbed my arm and we staggered up, running as fast as we could, waiting for the pain to numb. I felt it first, strides lengthening and speed increasing, looking over my shoulder to whistle encouragingly at Argen. He nodded, catching up, and we streaked through the night, feet pounding on the concrete as we fled the people who seemed to want to kill us very badly indeed. I felt a tingle in my chest, and my heart froze. "CRAP!" I snarled, wrenching my backpack open and fumbling for a vial. Argen swore as well, grabbing an extra of his and shoving it in my hand.

I gulped it down as he swallowed his, tingle fading, then stopping as we continued running, my heart slamming in my chest. That had been close…WHAM. My head met concrete, and I yelped as my face grinded across gravel and rock, skin tearing and bleeding. "That's for shooting me!" a voice in my ear hissed, and I gulped, struggling against his grip as Argen roared, pistols firing rapidly. My head was wrenched up, then slammed down again, harder. "That's for staking me!" he snarled, lifting my head from the crater as my face dripped blood onto the cracked ground. I was slammed down again, crying out as my skull cracked and my vision swam for a second before correcting itself, head clearing. "That's…" I was pulled up, and felt cold breath against my neck. "For making me look like a pathetic idiot!" He chomped down, and I gasped, eyes swiveling as I searched for Argen, heart sinking as I saw the female vampire standing above him, huge cannon pressed to the small of his back.

I grimaced, waiting for one of our final defenses to kick in. The only thing that might hinder us was time…the more blood l lost, the harder it was going to be to move quickly. He grunted, grip relaxing as he struggled to remain conscious, finally wrenching his fangs out of my neck and spitting my blood out on the ground, choking and hacking as the poisonous liquid seared his throat. I freed myself, streaking towards Argen as the vampiress stared helplessly at the man, leveling her with a good right hook and hauling Argen to his feet. We streaked off again, my neck burning before deadening, blood ceasing its incessant dripping as I licked my lips, feeling the searing pain begin to recede.

* * *

I was going to kill that girl. And her brother. I snarled quietly to myself as I phased after them, grinning in triumph as I saw them stumble and slow, pawing something out of their backpacks and swallowing, slowing for the crucial moments I needed to catch them. I slammed the girl's head into the concrete, feeling the satisfying shock travel up my arm as she gave a muffled yelp, clawing at the ground frantically. "That's for shooting me!" I snarled in her ear, then slammed her face back down, grinding her across the tarmac as her brother held off Police Girl, half-focused on his partner. "That's for staking me!" I hissed, lifting her up, pleased to note her skin was broken and bleeding heavily. I slammed her into the tiny crater I had made, hearing her bone crack slightly. "That's…" I growled, pulling her against me as I got ready to bite. "For making me look like a pathetic idiot!" I roared, biting into her deeply as she gasped involuntarily.

I started to drain her savagely, grimacing at the foul taste of her blood. It was like sour vinegar in my mouth. Then…then it was actually _fizzing_, like one of those cokes the mercenaries drank. I grunted in pain as the consistency suddenly turned acidic, eating at my tender mouth and throat until I could stand it no longer, letting go and spitting the foul stuff out, hacking it up to purge myself of this…this _poison_. She wrenched out of my grip, but I could only kneel, coughing out more blood until I rid myself of the burning liquid. I looked up in time to see her run off with her partner and hissed in rage. "Master…" Police Girl said tremulously, reaching out for me. "I am…" I snarled, making her jerk back as my fist clenched. "…going to _slaughter_ those two humans…" I growled, eyes flaring red with my anger.

* * *

"No fatals?" Argen asked, touching my face gently. I shook my head. "Just a skull crack and a whole bunch of rubbed off skin, as well as a broken nose. Bite's already gone." I said, inspecting the wound in satisfaction. He nodded, hugging me suddenly. "I am going to kill that vamperic bastard. _No one _hurts my sister." he muttered into my hair, and I sighed, hugging him back. "Relax buddy. No going loco with a shotgun. I'm fine, and I deserve at least a few hits on Big Red before you kill him." I said, and he pulled away, grinning. His face fell a little though, and he shuffled his feet. "Yeah…but you were _bitten_ sis. BITTEN. I can't afford to lose you." He whispered, looking up at me hesitantly. I smiled at him reassuringly, touching his arm lightly. "I won't die if it kills me. You need looking after, ya crazy bastard. No, which side would you say is my good one, right or left?" I said, and mimed a movie star, making us both laugh.

He pulled a hoodie out of his backpack and I put it on, pulling it low over my scraped face as we slipped into an old warehouse, leaning back in the musty, dusty dry air, heaving a sigh of relief. I pulled it back, closing my eyes and letting the vampire form drop at long last, knowing he was doing the same. He probably had already, come to think of it. "Ammo count?" I asked, opening one eye. "Seventy percent. All weapons accounted for and undamaged." I sighed in relief. "Vials?" He chortled. "Every last jingling one of them safe and sound." I grinned a little. "Anything in our own little world that is possibly wrong right now?" He thought for a moment. "Can I have a pony?" We both burst out laughing, eyes tearing up as I chuckled, gasping for air. "No, we have…uh…we _had_ a bike. Well, I know what we're doing tomorrow."

_***Time Skip***_

"No. No, _non_, _nyet_, _nein_, and in all POSSIBLE ways NO!" he roared, and I sighed. "Argen, we both know the instant Jane and Joe public see my face it'll be a veritable hail of questions, and now we know Big Red has a whole vamp hunting gang all lined up and looking for us. I'm betting some of the men I crotch-shot are _dying_ to have a little chat with me." I said tartly, tapping a foot as he paced the warehouse floor. "Wear a freaking mask or something, but I'm not letting you stay here alone!" I gritted my teeth as he kept pacing. "Argentum!" I barked, and he froze. I had just used what constituted to a full name for us. We _never_ spoke of our last name. "You're being too emotional. There is no logical reason why I should come with you that doesn't have a whole bunch of downsides and extra steps attached to it." I explained somewhat angrily, and he sighed, running his hands through his black locks.

"I know, it's just…I don't want you to get hurt again…" he said weakly, looking down at his scuffed boots. I sighed. "I'll be fine, you'll be fine, we'll both be fine. Now go buy me a nice new bike and make it a fast one." I said, lightly pushing him towards the doors and sitting back down, returning to my self-appointed task. I was multiplying bullets, which was a lot harder than simply changing the metal and blessing it. By the time Argen came back with a bike, I was panting, and my shirt was soaked, but we were once again armed completely when I hopped on the bike. We turned on the music, and I sighed. "Is there any other channel?"

"_Like a gift from the heavens it was easy to tell, there was love from above that could save me from hell, she had fire in her soul it was easy to see, and the devil himself could be pulled out of me! There were drums in the air as she started to dance, every soul in the room keeping time with their hands, and we sang eh-away-away-away, and our voices rang like the angels sing, and we sang-_" I sighed, clicking it off. "I hate it when romance music comes on." I said over my shoulder, and he nodded, making a face. We drove on in silence, and I blinked, seeing a road block. We skidded to a stop, engine rumbling. The officer approached us, and I licked my lips nervously. "How did you get those wounds?" he asked in suspicion and I shrugged, pretending to wince. "Bike accident. I'm going to the hospital now, if you would be so kind…" I made a slight shooing motion with one gloved hand.

He nodded slowly, glancing at Argen. "Your story?" He raised an eyebrow. "Can't family members help their relations in these troubled times? We siblings need to stick together." He said, squeezing my waist affectionately. The man nodded, motioning for the blockade to be moved. "Thanks Mr. You take care now." I said, lifting the kickstand and letting the engine purr to life. He nodded absently, and we suppressed smirks as we thundered by, wind once again snapping our clothes and sending my hair flying. We managed to keep from laughing until out of hearing range, and then we caved, shrieking hysterically and letting laughter tears pour down our faces. We composed ourselves a few miles away, and my stomach rumbled. "Lunch break!" I chirped, swerving into a fast food joint. We parked the bike, and I swung my pack over one shoulder as I noted the nice big crowd of people asking for something. We walked up to the counter, and suddenly Argen tapped my heel three times. We knew someone here.

"Stop kicking me, I'm hungry too." I hissed quietly back, the single that yes, I got his signal. My eyes darted around the room, and a cold chill of fear ran down my spine. 99.9 percent of the people here were ones we had seen last night, and they clearly recognized us. The only reason we weren't being shot at yet is they couldn't believe we had just walked into the same restaurant. A man in a braid that I had threatened and was most likely the leader was inconspicuously tapping out a number on a cell that would most likely call Big Red here post-haste. Well, this was all kinds of oops. I nodded absently to them all as we placed an order, tapping a finger on the counter as the confused counter person, somehow sensing the attitude in the room, fumbled for our stuff.

He handed the paper bags and we tucked them in our backpacks with a quiet thank you. The whole mood changed even more. They were edging towards the exits, warning us with their eyes. _You ain't getting out if we have anything to say about it_. That was what those glares said, and we paused for a moment, and I dropped to one knee, pretending to lace my shoe. "Evening…fellas…" I said, grinning and tying a neat bow, and Argen used my back as a springboard, launching himself out of the window, shattering it as alarms started up. The men were stunned for a moment by our synchronization, and I used that moment, sprinting for the hole he had made. That roused them and I was ground to a halt, fists and feet lashing out like a ninja whose been jumped by a whole crowd of samurai. I didn't particularly want to _kill_ anyone, but Big Red was most likely on the way and _dying_ to have a nice chat with us. It sure as hell wasn't me going down today. So most of them would probably spend a day or two in the hospital recovering from concussions.

I smashed through the glass, not having time to go to Argen's exit, cuts slashing into my skin like cold fire then abruptly fading, bleeding slowing and stopping. I rolled and came up, streaking for our bike. Suddenly there was a slight sting of pain in my chest, and I was lifted off my feet. It felt like someone had put a harness on and was lifting me. But when I looked down, all I could see was a hand sticking out of my chest, dripping with blood. I managed to twist a little, seeing our old friend in red grinning at me, arm leading to the hand that was currently impaling my heart. "Crap…" was all I could think to say, and his smirk shrunk a little. "YOU DAMN BASTARD!" Argen roared, foot connecting solidly with Big Red's chin, sending him smashing back through the restaurant. He ran back to me, and I gave him a weak peace sign as he helped me up, muttering "I don't think he likes us very much…"

He smirked at me absently, looking back to the smashed in windows and buckled front door. "I don't think we're going to be welcome in that food joint anymore." I chuckled and shook my head, throwing a leg over the bike. Everything responded so slowly to my commands, muscles sluggish without their supply of blood. I gunned the engine, hearing it roar to life. But here came Big Red, looking more pissed than ever, aiming a very large black gun at _me_. I hastily whirled the air into a barrier, and a bullet cracked against the shield I had erected, a flickering blue light surrounding us briefly before vanishing. I groaned, bright lights flaring in my brain. Another crack sounded, and the shield buckled as we screamed away, me nervously trying to support it, because another blast or two…BAM.

Argen choked, something wet and hot dripping onto my back, and I felt his wet chest again my back. "ARGEN!?" I screeched, and he patted my shoulder weakly. " 'S all good here sis." He murmured, resting his head against my shoulderblades as I gritted my teeth, engine rumbling louder and faster. "Damn that vampire to the deepest pits of your laundry basket…" I snarled, swerving around a car. He chuckled weakly, more sticky wetness spreading across my back. "Aw, do we really hate him that much? 'Least we could upgrade to closet space. The poor guy doesn't deserve that kind of torment." I sighed, shaking my head as we weaved through traffic. "May I remind you that he just stuck his freaking hand through my chest and shot you?" I growled, popping a stoppie to avoid the bullet he sent after us.

He was silent for a moment. "Yeah but _laundry basket_? We go straight to that?" He said sadly, and I chuckled, avoiding another gun blast. "Shut up and stop bleeding. I like this shirt." I growled playfully, sliding in a minuscule gap between two sedans and waving to the passengers. He shrugged and we rode in silence for a moment, dodging Big Red's barrage of bullets in contemplative silence. "See if he hadn't gotten us through the hearts we could actually shoot _back_." Argen said in exasperation, and I chuckled. "I'm sure next time he will aim for a less important major organ." I muttered, and he banged his head against my back. "Shut up, you female with your damn _logic_ and cursed _reality_." He hissed, and we both laughed.

* * *

I gritted my teeth, firing rapidly after those two cursed humans as I phased after them. I had gotten these stubborn brats through the heart, why the hell were they still moving!? And…LAUGHING?! _God, the arrogance of those blasted mortals!_ I hissed mentally, seeing them laughing and jibing each other, completely at ease with the hail of bullets I sent after them. The Wild Geese had hastily erected a roadblock with their vans, and the motorcycle was nearing it. The female stopped laughing, to my satisfaction, and cursed. Then she throttled the engine, screaming even faster down the tarmac, much to the bewilderment of the Geese and myself. _Does she think they'll just leap aside?_

"Argen!" she screeched, suddenly shifting on the bike so it was almost level on the ground, slipping through the crack between van and road as she and her brother hunched closer to the wheel, sparks grinding in their wake. I phased through the blockade to see them straighten and whoop, thundering away as the mercenaries all gaped after them. "T-that's…that's…that's just not fair!" Bernadette shouted, stomping his foot on the ground in frustration. Amazingly, one heard him, and the boy turned back in the set and yelled back at us "WE DON'T PLAY FAIR YOU IDOITS!" I growled, itching to shot that stubborn cockroach of a boy again and again and again until there was nothing _left_ to shout with. "_…and , let's go. Destination, to navigation, man up your stations feel the sensation! Surround invasion, with communication, move quick we might avoid contamination. POUND, here comes the SOUND, everyone POUND, you're free to this Phenomenon! Now, let's make it loud, and show them all how, you move to this Phenomenon! Whoa, open your soul, maybe lose CONTROL, inside of this Phenomenon…_" I gaped silently, outraged.

THEY WERE PLAYING MUSIC AND SINGING ALONG!? That was it. I was going to _slaughter _those two brats, _crush_ and _tear_ and _rip_ and _butcher_ those cockroaches of teenage humans. I quickly phased after them, rage simmering deep within my core. "Releasing control on restriction systems 3, 2, 1. Approval of situation A recognized commencing the Cromwell invocation. Ability restrictions lifted for limited use until the enemy has been rendered silent." I snarled, appearing right in front of them. "Oh frick." I heard the girl mutter, and leered at them evilly as the bike skidded to a stop. They knew better than to try and outrun me. "One last thing?" the boy chirped, looking over his partner's shoulder. I raised an eyebrow. He grinned, a reckless, insane, suicidal grin. "We're silent now. You can put away the nastiness." He chuckled, and I snarled, sending a shadow tendril to whip his insolent head off his shoulders.

They split up, moving faster than a human eye could track, and I heard a breathless laugh. "Hey Argen, listen to the song!" The boy laughed wildly, still dodging my attacks. "What a coincidence!" I growled, flailing shadows trying to hack them to bits. "_The world is a scary place, now that you've woken up the demon….IN ME! Get up, c'mon get down with the sickness! Get up, c'mon get down with the sickness! Get up, c'mon get down with the sickness! Open up your hate, and let it flow into me!_" they sang to the pounding rhythm, still managing to avoid my attacks. "SHUT UP AND LET ME KILL YOU!" I roared, and they both snickered. "I'll pass on that Big Red! Being alive is great! You should try it sometime!" The girl shouted happily, and I screeched in rage, chasing her down with a mass of shadows and hellhounds.

I snarled, sending another mass towards the bike, rending it in a screech of metal as the song cut off and the teens growled. "THAT WAS A BRAND NEW BIKE YOU BASTARD!" the girl roared, foot connecting solidly with my chin. "STUMPID VAMP!" the boy snarled, punching my chest hard enough to send me flying again. _Damn these kids and their power-punches._ I choked up a mouthful of blood, spitting it out and punching them back, sending the girl skidding across the tarmac and the boy crunching through a few dozen bushes and brambles. They came up almost instantly, running for me again. I had a moment of grudging respect for these two mortals who could stand on even footing with me, and then they were in too close, right in front of me. I slammed a booted foot into the girl's sternum, cracking her breastbone, and her eyes widened, blood spraying from her mouth as she flew back, rolling across the grass.

Her partner snarled, and I hissed, pivoting and slamming my fist into his chest, doing the same thing as he choked and flew back, hitting a van and indenting the metal deeply. Suddenly the girl twitched, sitting up and spitting out some blood, wiping the trickle away with a thumb as she snarled at me, staggering to her feet. Her accomplice twitched as well, wrenching himself out of the metal and stumbling to his feet. I cocked my head, puzzled and angry. I could _see_ the damage I had inflicted, a shard of bone sticking out of the girl's chest and a large impact wound on the boy's, but they were acting like the injuries weren't even there. I experimentally grabbed the back of her head, slamming her down onto the dirt and gravel repeatedly.

The boy roared and attempted to kick me off, but I pinned him down with some shadows as I cracked the female's head against the ground repeatedly, watching as her skull caved, but she still struggled, hands clawing at the ground weakly as I absently watched. Finally, when her forehead was all but crushed, she twitched a few times and slumped, all the fight going out of her. I grinned, lifting her up to see her breathing shallowly, eyes closed as she fell unconscious. That would have to do for now. I dropped her and went to the male, repeating the process and then sitting back, absorbing all the drifting power I had released back into myself.

The mercenaries came, seeing the broken children, backed away slightly. "Um, sir, Mrs. Hellsing said she wanted them alive…" Bernadette said weakly, pointing to the bodies. I sighed, getting to my feet and absorbing all the blood. "I don't know _how_, but they still are." I growled, feeling disappointed. The girl twitched, and they all gasped and murmured. "Damn…" Bernadette muttered, pushing his braid back. "Shove them in a van and get back to the Manor. I have to report to master." I snarled, phasing away.

* * *

"And now, live from the Hollywood bowl, the two most idiotic teens ever to walk the earth!" I hissed, holding my forehead with one bloodied hand. Argen laughed grimly, yanking on the bars. "If this is the Hollywood bowl I'm Mickey Mouse!" he joked, and I grinned. "Well gee Mickey, how are we ever going to get out of here?" I chirped in a dead-on impersonation of Minnie Mouse. We both laughed, eyes watering as we simply let it all out. "Oy! Shut up in there!" Our guard yelled, and we stopped, glaring at the door. "Make us you philistine!" I shouted back, and we continued laughing. He muttered under his breath, but didn't try to go in. They knew better, for some odd reason. "Hey Argen, what do you get when you cross a fat idiot with a jerk?" I said, and he chuckled, knowing the answer. "No clue." He managed to say with a straight face, and we both grinned. "OUR GUARD!" I shrieked, convulsing with laughter as we heard the man's hiss of anger.

Suddenly the door slammed open, and we instantly rolled into a ready position, streaking past a woman in a suit. Suddenly we were slammed back in by Big Red himself, who was scowling as usual. "Dude…" I moaned, holding my nose to stop the blood from gushing out. "You _need_ to stop doing that…" Argen finished, rubbing the back of his head where he had impacted stone. "Who are you?" The woman snapped, and we blinked in unison. "Forgive me for answering a question with a question, but why the hell are you beating us up and shooting us and kidnapping us and holding us hostage in a very cold and damp basement with creaky doors?" I asked, putting up my hand. She sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "It's because of the bike, isn't it?" Argen said knowingly, tsking. I nodded gloomily. "Shame, shame. We need to remember to ask next time." I said sadly, and we pouted in silence for half a second as the woman opened her mouth again.

"But then again, there wasn't a scratch on the thing until _you_ did your freaky slicing mojo on it. Technically, we're the wounded party here." Argen said suddenly, and I nodded. "Yeah. Literally, actually. There isn't even a nick on either of you two beauties." I said, looking down at myself sadly. Both of them looked incensed and Argen made a frame out of his hands. "I can see it now, Big Red and Shouty, touring the country and bringing the huddled masses to their collective knees." He said musingly, and we both snorted as they turned red with rage. "SHUT UP!" the vampire roared, and the woman scowled, bringing out a pistol. "You two are acting like you want to be shot."

"It _is_ an addicting experience. Being invulnerable has its perks." Argen said causally, making a "come at me" motion with his hands. She scowled, bringing it back up. "I note you didn't say immortal." We both shrugged in unison. "Meh, we're still aging, sad to say." Argen said, looking down at himself sadly. "And there are a few loopholes that'll at the very least kill us for a long time." I said, inspecting my nails and licking some blood off. "Let's try it this way. My name is Integra Fairbrook Wingates Hellsing, and this is Alucard. Now, what are _your_ names?" she said, pointing to Big Red, or as we could call him now, Alucard. We stared at him in silence for a moment. "Bit obvious…" Argen said, rubbing the back of his head. "You've had _years_ to come up with a new one." I added, shaking my head sadly.

Both of them looked confused. "Not even a different language. I mean, we had the sense to change it at least _that_ far." Argen mused, studying Alucard intently. "Names…" Integra growled, and we blinked. "Oh yeah…" Argen muttered, and we both smirked at each other. "Arum." I said, showing them the live long and prosper sign. "Argentum." Argen said, flashing a peace sign at them. She nodded, and Alucard blinked. "Gold and Silver. We're twins." We said in unison, grinning, and he made a sound of realization. "See now _those_ are aliases. Yours sucks." Argen said, rocking on his heels absently. His mouth turned down in a silent snarl of warning. "I mean, doing the mirror trick just doesn't work with such a well-known name." I added sympathetically, tapping the side of my skull. A heavy growl filled the room, and Integra looked askance at Alucard. "Calm down. You two, shut up." She hissed, and we shut up.

The growl faded, and we both nodded in satisfaction. "Are you two hungry?" she asked suddenly, and we looked down at our bodies. "Yeah, but I think we've gone past the point of being able to consume edible substances." I said sadly, sticking my hand in the wound Alucard had made and prodding around a little. Argen snickered. "Speak for yourself, I only got shot!" he said, shoving me playfully. Integra and Alucard both glanced at each other. "Speaking of, what is the extent of your injuries?" she asked coolly, and I shrugged. "Tell vampy to turn around while I check." I said curtly, before yanking my shirt up. "Argen, check my back." I muttered, and he nodded. "Well, it looks like I have a great big hole through the center of my chest that goes right through my heart, a bunch of deep slash marks from the broken glass, and-" I stuck my hand inside my chest again, fingers probing the damage. "-a broken breastbone, as well as a shattered skull on my forehead. Other than that, just bruises and scrapes." I said casually, pulling my shirt back down.

Integra was looking queasy. Perhaps she wasn't used to people who stuck hands inside their own chests. Argen turned around as I checked his back. "Bullet wound through heart and cracked sternum. Shattered skull in the same place." He called out, and I nodded, pulling his shirt back down. "You actually had to check?" she murmured, looking away. I shrugged. "It all kinda blends together after a while to be honest…" I said, twirling a finger around my ear and exchanging a smirk with Argen. Alucard's hand suddenly shot forward, burying itself in my chest as I jerked backward from the impact, looking up at him in confusion. "Dude, get your hand out of my chest. Only my organs and my own hands are allowed to be in there." I said firmly, grabbing his wrist and tugging. It didn't budge.

"It seems the nerves are somehow shut down." He mused, wiggling his fingers a little. It felt weird, to say the least. Here was this stranger who had attempted to kill you several times with his right hand buried up to the wrist in your gaping chest, prodding his fingers around your heart and lungs. The sensation was indescribable to start with, but we'll just say it was weird to have someone's hand wiggling around in your chest. "Yet the damage is still there…" he mused, sticking a finger all the out to my back and prodding my spine experimentally. "Hand. Out. Of. Chest." I growled, grabbing his arm and yanking hard. His hand slid out, covered in blood and tissue, and he scowled, straining against me in warning as I pushed him away. His other hand darted for my forehead, but I grabbed his wrist, holding him away as Integra blinked in shock. She hadn't even seen him move.

He growled, baring his teeth at me, and I shifted to vampire form so I could growl back, baring my own pearly whites at him. He blinked, stopping his huge outward force for a moment, and Integra made a small sound of shock. "Vampire?" she whispered, hand twitching towards her gun. "Humans through and through. Arum, change back, we're scaring the nice people." Argen chuckled, and I grinned wider, teeth shrinking and eyes fading back to brown. "What was that?" she barked, and I shrugged. "Dunno. It's like a glamour, but extends to all senses. Even ours." I said, experimentally edging back, loosening my hold. Alucard backed away as well, looking wary. "Any others you can do?" she asked sharply, exchanging a glance with him again. "Werewolf, but this close to the full moon that isn't a good idea." Argen said, miming a clawing motion with his hands.

They stared at each other for a moment, and I was pretty sure they were using telepathy. "Mmm. Arum, Argentum, how would you like to be a part of Hellsing?" she said suddenly, and we blinked in unison. "Uh…what happens if we say no?" I asked, and she bit her lip, looking uncomfortable. "We find some way to neutralize your powers. People like you two can't be allowed to run wild on the streets." We sat in thought for a second. "Give us a moment." Argen said finally, and we started a tap-conversation. We had our own version of Morse code. "_You okay with this?_" I tapped out on the wooden seat, and he shrugged. "_Don't think we have much of a choice. They'll find out about the vials tonight anyway, unless we have some spares in our pockets?_" he drummed out on the metal railings of his bed, and I shook my head. "_Searched us and took them. We're dead meat come the Tingle._" We both sighed in unison, shaking our heads. "Fine. But as a trust gesture, can we please have two of the vials from our backpacks? Please? They're really important." I said finally, and she blinked, and then chuckled. "How stupid do you think I am? Of course not."

* * *

"Now?" the boy, Argen, asked, rocking a little on the bed as he watched his sister shiver. "No. Still fine. I'm just cold." Arum said, leaning on the barred window. "Do…do you think it'll hurt?" he asked, looking terrified. She sighed, closing her eyes as she pressed her forehead to the cold metal. "Do you want me to lie?" He slowly shook his head, biting his lip. "Hell yes it'll hurt. All of those injuries…it'll hurt a lot. Just be glad _yours_ is a clean one." Arum growled, jabbing a thumb at her chest where the gaping wound I had made still showed. He chuckled a little and she smiled sadly. "I hope it happens at the same time." She said softly, and he nodded. "Yeah. Me too. Still, no regrets?" Arum grinned. "Heaps. First off is allowing you to be born next. I should've gotten stuck and sealed you in." she murmured, and they both laughed.

Suddenly Arum's laughter cut off and she gripped her chest, eyes squeezing shut in pain. Argen bolted to his feet as she crumpled, breathing hard. "Now…" she whispered, then her back arched, and she screamed as blood fountained from her mouth, twisting and shuddering on the ground as red started staining the stone. Her brother gritted his teeth, blood spurting from his back as he choked out a scream, collapsing on the floor beside her. I watched in fascination as they shuddered, blood and bone flying. It was like they were receiving the wounds all over again. Only this time without their pain-numbing or regenerative powers. "God…" Integra murmured, clapping a hand over her mouth. Arum's head twisted up, blood spraying from her mouth as she hissed up "Damn you Hellsing, I know you're watching and if you want us you're going to have to make us drink the-" the rest of her warning was cut off in a screech as she collapsed on the ground, twitching as her skull started caving again.

"Do it." Integra snapped, and I phased down, holding two tiny vials of a thick golden liquid. I paused, wondering which one was worse off. I decided it was Arum and shoved the glass tube in her mouth, watching in fascination as she gripped my wrist with both hands, desperately gulping it down, along with several mouthfuls of her own blood. Even half-alive, she knew she needed to drink, and clung to me like an infant as I held it to her mouth. I felt her grip relax and ripped the vial out, repeating the process with her brother. They lay there, and I realized with a shock both were healed, not even a scratch or a scar on them as they sat up. The glass shattered on the stone floor as both sat up, my grip relaxing and slippery vials clattering out of my hands. "Thanks Red…" Argen murmured, rubbing the back of his head. "We owe you one…" Arum muttered, rotating her wrists.

I grabbed their arms and phased them to Integra, who was staring at them both in confusion. "Explain. And leave _nothing_ out." She snapped, and they sighed. "Okay, here goes. Argen, interrupt me if I forget anything." Arum said, leaning back in her chair as he nodded. "A long time way back when, we were both sick with cancer. Not only that, a few weeks before we were supposedly about to be cured, we were bitten by a sick homicidal vamp, which got a wallop with a silver cross as soon as dad got up to see what was going on. So dad, being the brilliant guy that he was, started finding a way to cure us. That way…" she held up a few shards of the glass vial I had dropped. "Was this. We didn't vamp, didn't die of cancer. In fact, he went a little overboard. I won't hold it against him; he loved us more than life itself. Fitting, considering what happened to him, but I digress. We were now superhuman. Any injury, any wound, would stop almost instantly, in suspended animation until we took another dose. We could hit harder, run faster, learn better."

I exchanged glances with Integra. "But…" I asked slowly, and she nodded. "Yeah. "But". Turns out we had to take the serum every twenty-four hours, or we would…basically have everything pile up at once. Rupture from the inside out, DNA burst apart, it's quite a lot, but basically, we get a tingle in our chest, and if we haven't taken the serum in less than five minutes, we're singing with the angels. How doesn't matter." I growled heavily, and Integra looked at me in shock. "And what was this _special_ science your father practiced in?" I hissed, and Arum exchanged a worried glance with her brother, before closing her eyes and whispering the hated word "Alchemy. He was an alchemist."

"MASTER?" I snarled, slamming the Casull down on the table as Arum and Argen jumped. "Not again…" Arum murmured, shaking her head. "I fail to see how alchemy-" Integra began, and I cut her off with a snarl. "Alchemy is usually forbidden for some reason. We don't know why, and most people react violently when we tell them-" Argen mumbled, and I hissed. "IT'S FOBIDDEN BECAUSE YOU CORRUPT EVERY SUBSTANCE YOU COME IN CONTACT WITH!" I roared, and they flinched. "We do not…" Arum said sullenly, folding her arms and pouting. I heaved in a deep breath, trying to control my anger. I shoved a cigar at them, scowling. "Change it. I don't care to what." Arum and Argen exchanged bemused glances, and then shrugged. Arum reached out for the cigar, grasping it gently. She inhaled, and suddenly her eyes rolled up in her head, cigar glowing a dull yellow. She exhaled sharply, letting go, and I picked up the now heavy, metal cigar, inspecting it for the tell-tale signs of corruption.

I frowned, looking closer. Nothing. It seemed to be pure, unadulterated gold. I broke it in half, cocking my head. Gold. All the way through. _How…_ "See, we don't _corrupt_ things." Arum said stiffly, grabbing the halves and pressing them together, revealing a seamless cigar, before licking her lips and making the glow start again, changing it back. She handed it to Integra, who examined it mutely, breaking it in half, but seeing it was again a cigar. "What do normal alchemists do?" Integra asked sharply, glancing at us. Arum and Argen shrugged. "We were bedridden for most of our young lives, and then we were super-humans. Normality escaped us at times." Argen said sourly, leaning back in his chair. "Sorry, ask him." Arum added, pointing to me.

"True alchemists corrupt a substance, altering it to their will and energies before changing it to a base substance. Other than that, I am as unaware as these two. But alchemists are notoriously greedy for money and power." They both, unexpectedly, laughed. "Those were idiots!" Argen chuckled, shaking his head. "I think we can clue you in further. See, most alchemists who revealed, well, being alchemists, were novices who couldn't handle knowing all of the craft. Those of us who were adept in the craft are usually quite generous, since we can make as much damned money as we want." She grabbed the chair she was sitting on, closing her eyes. It flared a dull yellow, just like the cigar, and she let go of an antique gold chair. "See, we give it the chemical composition of something very, very old. Since we are required to have a thorough grounding of ancient and modern art, the rest isn't too hard." She said causally, standing up as Integra ran a hand over the cold metal.

"You only change things to gold?" she asked slowly, and Arum winced. "Side effect. Our actual alchemist powers are very limited for some reason. Don't miss it all that much, truth be told. You know…" she gave a little laugh, holding up her hand in a live long and prosper sign. "Gold and Silver." I raised my eyebrows. "That's how you got pure silver bullets. Bless them yourself?" I said, and they smirked. "That's Argen. I do gold, he does silver. Our names, after all." She said, and he nodded. "Bites, doesn't it vamp?" I gritted my teeth, nodding.

They both smirked in a smug fashion, high fiving each other without looking. "Do you have any living or undead relations?" Integra asked, and they shook their heads. "Any larger organization looking out for you or paying you?" Another identical head shake. "How would you like to work for us?" she said abruptly, and they blinked.

"Uh…" Argen said, glancing at his sister. She bit her lip, and imperceptibly their fingers began tapping out soft rhythms that I was sure was some kind of code. "Right then. Yes, we would like to be employed by Hellsing as long as you guys aren't trying to kill and or hurt us." Arum said suddenly, and they looked back up at us. Integra smirked in satisfaction. "Excellent. However, since I have no idea of what your skills are when you are _not_ using them against us, I would like you to have a field trial." They grinned, standing up and pausing expectantly.

* * *

"Right then. Kill all "vamps" and save the human targets. We have Alucard and Seras somewhere inside the maze, and if you get a kill shot for him its double points. Her you just have to knock out or something, she isn't as…durable." Pip said, watching the two new recruits strap pistols all over their bodies. "Vamp targets?" Argen asked, halving his gun and loading it. "No idea. I think they're some freaky trick by Alucard…" Pip muttered, shuddering as the twins exchanged dubious glances. "Anything else we need to know?" Arum murmured, sticking a mic in her ear, turning it on as her brother winced and adjusted his. "Nope. Good luck." He said, and they saluted him sarcastically and walked in the maze.

"So, Argen, wanna bet?" Arum's voice crackled, and Integra and Walter, back up in the control room, exchanged bemused glances. "You're on. May the best man win." Argen chuckled, and she grinned as the camera's tracked their movements. "So the bride and the maids are going to be left out? HELL NO!" she taunted, suddenly splitting away from him and darting deeper into the maze as he scowled after her. "YOU CAN'T RUN FROM SOMEONE WHO HAS A MIC CONNECTION WITH YOU!" he yelled after her, streaking in the opposite direction. "That's unexpected. We thought they would stay together as they had done so far." Walter murmured, frowning slightly. "When it comes to these two…" Integra said, glasses reflecting Arum's grinning face. "Expect the unexpected."

Argen was first to reach an enemy, a mass of shambling ghouls. "Hey sis!" he shouted through the microphone as he began wading into them. "I'm winning!" he grinned, bullets tearing neatly through the exact center of the ghouls' foreheads. "They're…having a contest?!" Walter sputtered, and Integra nodded. "It would appear so." Arum chuckled, reaching a ghoul horde of her own, along with some of Alucard's familiars. "I beg to differ little bro. For instance, how many vamps have you knocked off?" Argen swore into the headset as Arum cheerfully blasted her way through the zombie-like mass, guns blazing. The last fell behind her with a wet thud, blood seeping across the floor as she whistled and continued further, loading more bullets into her smoking pistol.

Argen however, had run into a spot of trouble. A vampire copy had him on the floor, both hands pinned away from his head. "SIS! I have a First Alice situation over here, move it!" he shouted into the mic, and she immediately turned, streaking back the way she had come. "First Alice?" Integra repeated, confused. "Sure, ever hear of Vocaloid?" Arum said over the mic, making them both start. "No…" Integra replied slowly, and Arum shook her head sadly, vaulting off a wall and continuing her run. "Well it's a code we use from one of their songs. _The First Alice strayed too far and too deep in the woods, it marked her as a sinner, and locked her in there for good, much like the gruesome path that marked her murdering way, her life remains a mystery until this very day. _First or Red Alice situation is when we're in over our heads with just one person, or a very large group of unidentified and unknown enemies. There are four more Alices."

"RED FREAKING ALICE ALREADY! C'MON ARUM MOVE IT!" Argen bellowed, barely keeping the vampire's snapping fangs away from his face. Suddenly it was batted away, Arum's grinning form landing lightly on her brother's other side. "I heard you loud and clear. My kill little bro." she taunted, tossing her hair back and sheathing her new sword that she had morphed from a dagger at her waist. "Yeah, yeah, rub it in my face." He grumbled, sitting up and picking his gun off the floor. She bowed once before streaking back the way she had come, chuckling. He grinned however, when he came to another room full to the brim with vampires and ghouls. "Yo sis, I got a whole crowd here to welcome me. How're you doing?"

Arum didn't answer, busy slashing and shooting her way through a mob of ghouls that had backed her into a wall. "I'm…doing…just…fine!" she shouted, reloading rapidly and returning to keeping the crowd at bay. Her eyes flicked upwards as her ammo ran out, and she grinned. "Die ghouls!" she shouted, splaying her hand in the air and bringing it down. A few loose tiles on the ceiling shifted, glowing a steady gold before dropping rapidly, slamming into the ghouls and smashing them flatter than pancakes, sending a spray of blood right up into Arum's face. She chuckled softly, wiping it off and continuing down the hall. "So she can manipulate the element at will…" Integra murmured, lighting a cigar and inhaling deeply. Argen swore, having run into much the same problem as he ninja-leaped off the walls, running from three puppet-vamps controlled by Alucard.

He held both hands out behind him, before slamming them together, and the walls bulged behind him, before smashing into each other and pulverizing the vampires with a compress of silver. "I'm winning!" he sang into the microphones, and Arum scoffed. "I doubt it…Integra, which of us has killed more yet?" Walter checked the readouts, then silently showed her. "Currently Arum is three ahead with vampires and twelve ahead with ghouls." Integra said neutrally, and Argen swore in frustration. "Frick…FOURTH ALICE! FOURTH ALICE!" Arum screeched through the mic, and Argen gulped, running to her aid. "Hang on big sis! Where are you?" he asked, panting a little as he ran faster. "Does anyone want to explain just what a Fourth Alice is?" Integra muttered grumpily, and Argen answered absently "Like First or Red Alice. It's a code we use. Uh, I actually kinda forgot what the original lines were…oh yeah. _Were closest to see the nature of the true Alice at hand…but both will never wake up from the dream that they had planned, forever they shall wander hopelessly in Wonderland!_ Basically we just got ourselves in a trap, and it's a very good one that needs both our help."

Integra made an "oh" sound, and watched in silence. If that was what Fourth Alice meant, it certainly was. Arum was pinned under a fallen crate, and a shambling ghoul horde was getting closer. When the footage was replayed, she hadn't been looking behind her when she jumped to avoid a vampire's swipe, and crashed down into this mock-warehouse. The crates had followed and trapped her with no proximity to her weapons, although she had managed to "kill" the vampire. Her mic picked up a constant murmur of "Fourth Alice Fourth Alice Fourth Alice Fourth freaking Alice…"Argen almost fell into the same trap, but swayed, barely managing to stay on his feet, before making a controlled descent. He wrenched the crates off her and she stumbled upright, quickly slaying all the ghouls before they could be added to her brother's count.

"Oh c'mon!" he snarled, stamping his foot as she saluted him sarcastically and streaked off, cackling. She giggled, bounding off the walls and running along the ceiling rapidly as she fled another vamp puppet. "Eat silver!" she shouted, flipping and somehow sending daggers, slivers really, of silver at the vamp target, which screeched and dissolved. She skidded on the ground, staggering upright and running straight into Alucard's chest. "Frick." Was all she could say before he grinned and aimed the Casull straight for her head, pulling the trigger. There was a bang, and then Integra and Walter gaped. Arum was lying on the ground, arms crossed above her, and the bullet was spinning lazily in midair, still smoking. She grinned up at him waveringly. "Silver buddy. My brother can control it." she chuckled, and he glanced down the hall to see Argen with both hands outstretched, panting heavily.

"Hmm." That was all _he_ said before quickly switching to a physical attack and aiming a punch at Arum, who was no longer beneath him. Her feet crashed into his chin, sending him skidding a few feet back. "You can't run this time." He chuckled, standing and leering at them as he wiped a trickle of blood off his chin and licked it off his fingers. "Yeah, we're kinda bummed about that." Arum said, accepting a knife from her brother. "So then, humans…ATTACK ME!" he shouted, shadows writhing off his body and streaking towards them. "Argen!" Arum barked, and he threw up his hands, an airtight seal of silver shooting up from the ground and blocking the hallway. Alucard grimaced as his shadows weakly prodded it, quickly withdrawing.

On the other side, Argen frowned at the wall. "I'm honestly surprised he hasn't broken it down." He admitted, tapping it gently. "We gotta even the odds." Arum panted, pushing her thick black curls back. "If we-" Argen made a slicing motion across his throat "-NOW, that might be just as bad as…you know…" Arum grinned, skin paling and teeth lengthening. Her eyes brightened to a rich, vibrant red, and Argen sighed, copying her. The silver wall came down, and they launched themselves at Alucard, who was slightly taken aback by their species change. Arum wrenched the Casull out of his hands, and they both grabbed his other arm, slamming him into the ground and biting down on his limbs hard. His convulsed, grinning as they severed the tendons in his wrists, and then they sat back, mouths bloody. They went for him again, crunching into his neck and biting down hard.

He grabbed the back of their necks, wrenching them off and sitting up, giving them an approving nod before phasing away. Arum spat blood out of her mouth as Argen hacked, scrubbing at his tongue with both hands. "You taste nasty!" Arum yelled after him, wherever he had gotten to, spitting once more before standing up. "Note to self, don't vamp out when I have the munchies. I think I swallowed some of him…" Argen groaned, holding his stomach and burping. Arum made a face, and they both chuckled a little as they continued on. "Now what…there's nothing left…" Arum muttered, eyes flashing to red, then back to a warm chocolate brown. "Yeah…I took out Mrs. Victoria on the way here…" Argen murmured, scratching his head.

"Congratulations, Arum and Argen. You are now members of Hellsing." Integra's voice said over the speakers, and they grinned. "All right!" Argen shouted, bumping fists with his sister and then exchanging a high five. "Yes!" Arum yelled, jumping up with a fist pump. "Seras will show you to your rooms." Integra's voice said, and they exchanged glances. "Rooms…as in plural?" Arum asked, eyes glinting with worry. "We got this…" Argen whispered, looking just as concerned.

* * *

"Thanks." I said, shouldering my weapon's case as Seras opened the door to my room, which was small, white, and standard. There was one narrow bed, a desk, a window, and a wardrobe. It was barely big enough for me and my weapons case, and there was a narrow closet-like door that I prayed led to my bathroom. There was a single overhead light, a dome fitting into the arch of the plain white ceiling. "Well…make yourself at home!" she said, seeing my look of shock and quickly closing the door. I nodded, tossing the case on the ground and opening the second door. Yup. A bathroom. A tiny, tiny shower, barely big enough for me to stand in, and a toilet with a sink inlaid in the back. Obviously space was short at hand here.

A snap of my fingers and the weapons all flew out, tacks embedding themselves in the wall and blades and guns settling into place. They had trace amounts of gold in the hilts, so it was easy to move them around. The rest was all Argen's silver. Speaking off…I rested my forehead against the wall, feeling isolated. We had never had separate rooms since…ever. Even when we were sick it was too much hassle to put us in a separate room. Later it had been necessary to bunker down together. It had become a habit as we got older, and now it was just out of place not sharing the same living space with him. Even becoming…well, _female_ had only meant we were more careful about how we moved around and looked in the mornings, or evenings. Oh well.

I popped out the door, card deck in hand. Argen leaned out of the door right beside mine, and we both brightened. "A duel big sis. You'll regret beating my score in the arena." he said, grinning, and I snorted. "You're on. I even brought the cards." I said, holding up the deck as he chuckled. We both walked out, seeing a large table with no one at it for the moment. We sat down, and I spread the cards with a snap of my fingers. Like most of our possessions, they had trace amounts of gold and silver so we could manipulate them at will. "Go fish?" I asked, shuffling them with another finger snap. He grinned. "Oh please. Poker and you better hope you got a good excuse to turn up with no weapons on our next mission." I grinned, splaying my hand and the cards in one swift motion. "I need a computer for entertainment after all. Get ready for a trip little bro."

* * *

The teens opened their eyes in unison as Pip and the others all tromped out. They both yawned and stretched, then followed, wiping sleep from their eyes, huge backpacks on their backs as usual. "Right then, zis is an easy mission for our newbies, or at least, we would like as much ladies. No, zis is a hard-core ghoul-infested hellhole, and I won't lie, not much of us are going to see the light of day again. So let's go down screaming." Pip said, shouldering his rifle as the twins raised their eyebrows. "Excuse me?" Arum asked, raising her hand. "What?" Pip asked irritably, putting a hand on his hip. "Can we cheat?" She asked meekly, pointing to her brother, who sheepishly grinned. There was a moment of dead silence, and all the older men groaned. "As long as you take down every last undead here, I don't care what you do." Pip snapped, turning away. There was a giggle and two wolves shot past him, howling with laughter.

_Arum's POV:_

"AWOOOOOOO!" I howled gleefully, signaling the moon that it had two new worshipers. Also to alert the vampires that some new predators were joining the food chain. Argen woofed happily, tongue hanging out of his mouth as he pounded alongside me, all four legs in perfect synchronization with mine. We heard the gasps of the Wild Geese behind us, and I barked joyfully, tossing my head as I leaped over a car. My wolf ears twitched, and I skidded to a halt, smelling ghoul. Argen stopped as well, hackles up and ears slanted forward as we approached the mass, growling. "AWOOOOOOOOOO!" We both howled in unison, pouncing as my jaws met rotting flesh and I tore at it viciously, decapitating the ghoul with a flick of my head and bowling the next one over. Crunches and snarls filled the air as the werewolf transformation set in, the rising moon spurring us on. I raised my bloody muzzle, seeing the Wild Geese standing a few hundred yards away, looking stunned, and briefly switched back to human.

"YOU ACT LIKE YOU HAVEN'T SEEN ANYONE EAT A GHOUL BEFORE!" I shouted at them, cupping my hands around my mouth to send the sound further and then switched back to wolf, howling mockingly at them before bounding away after Argen. We continued this animalistic rampage, ghoul blood smearing my face and singing tartly in my mouth as I swilled some spit around and hacked it all up, making a face, at least as much as I could in wolf form. We finally got to a challenge, the first vampire of the night. We made no pretense about it, advancing with our hackles up, jaws wide so he could see our blood-stained fangs. He whined in fear, backing away until his back hit a wall. "N-nice doggies…" he whispered, smiling at us hesitantly. We exchanged a disgusted look and pounced, ripping him apart with claws and teeth as he screamed a few times before falling to flaky ash in my mouth.

I switched to human, spitting and scraping at my tongue to try and escape the vile, gritty feeling in my mouth. I grabbed my water bottle, swilling it around and spitting once more, making a face as the sour, sandy feeling finally disappeared. The dark grey wolf at my side looked up at me in amusement. _Forgot to let go before he poofed, didn't ya?_ Argen teased, and I stuck my tongue out at him, shifting to a pitch black wolf. _Shut up._ I snapped, pounding away as he chuckled in my head, following. Suddenly there was a tingle in my stomach, and Argen stopped, shifting back to human as his earpiece buzzed. I copied him, listening in. "_GODAMNIT! WE NEED ALUCARD, WE'VE BEEN PINNED DOWN BY THE LAKE AND WE ARE IN DEEP SHI-_" It cut off, and I scowled, transforming back to a wolf. "AWOOOOOOOO!" A rage-filled howl echoed up to the moon, and I surged away, muscles flexing under fur and breath wheezing in my throat. Argen followed silently, a lighter grey shadow beside my inky blackness.

* * *

Pip and his men were stuck between a rock and a hard place. A rock being a huge cliff at their backs, and a hard place being a gigantic mass of ghouls and scattered FREAKs. Their earpieces buzzed, and Arum's voice came through. "_Hey guys, can you try to move away from the cliff a little bit more? Our aim needs to be perfect._" They gaped a little, and Pip finally recovered his wits enough to bellow "IF WE COULD DO YOU THINK WE WOULD HAVE ASKED FOR HELP?!" She chuckled, and a long, drawn-out howl sounded through the air. "_Well then, I hope Argen can push it closer. He's a bit worn out from transforming it though…oh well. When you see a giant werewolf running towards you, drop and roll. In a different direction, preferably outward, from where you were standing. Bye!_" her voice clicked out as another howl was sounded, and Argen bounded through the ghouls, sending body parts flying.

He suddenly cleared the mass, landing just behind the Wild Geese and jumped again, forehead impacting a heavy boulder that had been falling through the air, a solid thump echoing in the air as it flew over the terrified humans' heads, flattening most of the ghouls and even a vampire or two. "_Everyone intact and not squished?_" she asked, and Pip did a head count. "Yes. But what the hell!? You drop a giant boulder on us and HOPE we aren't flattened?!" She laughed, and Argen snickered, scratching at his ear nonchalantly. "_Aw, I know Argen would've knocked it away. And it's a giant SILVER boulder, not just a normal one. Here I come._" Pip and the others blanched, seeing that the hulking rock was indeed shining silver. "_Mon diue_…but how are you getting down here?" he asked, and she snickered. "_How else? Werewolves seem to be very bouncy. Look up._" They did so in a daze, seeing a dark shape plummet from the cliff, impacting the ground with a heavy thud and crunch of snapping bone.

They all winced, but gaped as she shook herself, sitting up as bones began snapping into place. "_See? I do love this form's regenerative powers. Is the mic working okay, I think a wire's coming loose._" Pip and the others shook their heads dumbly. She grinned, fangs stained with a sticky black substance that looked disturbingly like ghoul blood. "_Must be me then. Comes of trying to use something on my human body when I'm in an inhuman form I guess. Now then…Argen, ready for some fun?_" Her brother barked, tail waving excitedly as she bounded up to him, and they exchanged in a familiar nuzzle as the ghouls once again staggered upright, dragging their rotting body around the giant silver rock. Arum and Argen immediately broke off their greetings, striding over to the Wild geese and locking their legs, hackles up and teeth bared in a warning growl. The vampire masters paused, daunted by the sight of two authentic werewolves, but gave the mental order to advance anyway.

Arum snarled, and they slowed, but still came as Argen woofed in exasperation and slid his claws out, his sister mimicking him. "AWOOOOOOOOO!" they howled in unison, launching themselves forward and charging the ghouls, splitting up to further effect the enemy. The common wolf had one of the strongest bite forces of mammalian predators, and werewolves had triple that. Arum's jaw cracked down hard on a ghoul's skull as she brought it down, shattering the bone like an eggshell as she let go and pounced on another one, claws digging into the creature's shoulders before she bit down, severing the head from the shoulders and leaping to take down her next foe. Argen preferred to take his time, raking his claws across the ghouls several times before swiping the spine out, cutting all connection with the body and causing it to collapse into dust. Several of the humans swore and almost all had turned pale. These were not the lively and amusing teenagers the Geese had briefly come to know in the past week. These were bloodthirsty animals that thought of nothing but their next kill.

Arum snarled as a bullet from one of the armed vampires impacted her side, powerful muscles bunching as she tackled him, jaws snapping at his throat as he started to scream. The childishly high wails cut off, and she lifted her head, dark blood dripping from her muzzle as she gave a keening howl, saluting the moon before jumping off the ashes and attacking another ghoul. The Wild Geese didn't dare shoot, partly for the practical reason of the twins moved so fast they couldn't aim without fearing to hit one, and partly for the not-so practical reason of they were scared to draw the ravenous beasts' attention. Arum cried out as bullets peppered her body, and her brother surged to her aid, wet crunches and snaps filling the air. She shuddered a few times, then suddenly shank, coming up on her hind legs as her fur wavering and vanished, looking pale and sick. Argen whined, nuzzling her waist as she coughed, shaking her head rapidly. Some of the less reckless vampires and their ghouls still stood, and she touched a hand to the earpiece. "_Sorry guys, I took too much silver, I can't use the werewolf mode anymore. We're going to change back and start doing it like humans, so you better give us some cover fire._" She said into it, too far away to shout the words to the humans at the base of the cliff.

Argen shuddered, coming up on his hind legs as his fur melted away, body shaping to a human form once more. They both drew pistols in each hand, staring down the vampires as they nervously gave the order to advance once more. Arum didn't give a single warning. She just blazed into action, running silently and swiftly at the ghouls as she started firing, each crack from her pistols downing another ghoul. Argen jumped onto the silver boulder, rapidly giving her cover fire as she reloaded, then stopped as she blazed into action once more. It was a neat, almost telepathic partnership, each twin finishing their reloading at the same split second the other ran out of bullets, switching off without a single hitch. They did not show excitement, this was not a pleasure cruise for them. It was an extermination, plain and simple, and their faces were set, showing no expression as they took down undead body after undead body.


End file.
